Chapter 32 - Butterflies

Little late compared to AO3, sorry about that, But I think you will all agree this one is worth the wait. See you on the flip side.

"Ugh, freedom," Max sighed dropping her school bag next to her bed, flopping down on it.

Her life had turned into an endless stream of exhausting craziness, with some fun and downright embarrassing moments thrown into the mix. If only she had to deal with the odd Blackwell drama, not all this: the time travel, constant near-death experiences, crippling pain from her powers… At least she had Chloe, which brought a whole different set of issues entirely. Not bad ones, just… complicated, confusing and a little nerve-wracking.

"Feels like it took longer than it should have," Kate replied as she entered behind the brunette with Dana in tow.

"Ya know, if I'm that boring…" Dana teased playfully.

"Uh, I meant class. Our... stuff, I'm pretty sure you know... I, er… it's not boring," the blushing blonde muttered.

"Oh, I know." I just enjoy seeing you blush. Makes you look even cuter," Dana replied, placing a kiss on the short blonde's neck and reveling in the chaos.

Giggling slightly, Kate batted the taller girl away and sat down next to Max on the bed, "So, what's your plans for the rest of today, Max?"

Sitting upright Max bit her lip, nervously passing a glance to the brown paper bag strewn on the couch. "Umm…"

Following her gaze, Dana strolled across the room snatching up the paper bag before the brunette could get to it. "And what do we have in here, hmm?"

Covering her face in defeat, Max slumped back down on the bed curling herself up into a ball. "I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Oh my god," Dana gasped peering into the bag, quickly passing Kate a guilty look. "Sorry."

"It's okay, babe," Kate smiled, then frowned at the paper bag in her girlfriend's hand. "What's in the bag."

Raising an eyebrow, Dana lifted the items out of the bag – a pair of black panties and bra. "Max, were you planning on..."

Feeling the heat of embarrassment rise, the young time traveler refused to look at either of them as she replied, "Maybe... I dunno."

"I don't..." Something seemed to click for Kate, whose eyes suddenly widened with realization. "Oooh… Max you know, you don't have to if you're not ready."

Letting out a sigh, the brunette finally looked at her friends. "I do... I mean I want to, it's just..."

Placing the items back in the bag, Dana sat down on her other side. "You're nervous."

"I have no idea what I'm doing. What if I'm... no good?" Those last two words came out as little more than a whisper, too scared by the possibility.

"Max," Dana said reassuringly. "It's perfectly normal to be nervous. Heh, and no-one's an expert. Everyone's a little different, just go with how you feel."

Kate seemed to be considering something, going back and forth. "I was just as terrified, Max. But honestly…" she bit her lip, passing Dana a brief glance, "it was probably the best thing that's happened to me like... ever," she admitted, cheeks flushed.

The confession did catch Max a little by surprise. Knowing that Kate had actually been brave enough to follow through made her feel a little better in a way, like she could potentially do it. It was just a matter of getting there.

"I'll try not letting that go to my head," Dana grinned before her expression shifted to seriousness. "Besides, after everything you've been through - life and death and tornados - this shouldn't be that scary."

"I think I'd rather tackle another tornado," Max muttered glumly. It might seem stupid, but at least she had managed to best the storm. Chloe… she was another matter entirely, a lot of uncertainty.

"Hmm, not sure Arcadia could survive another one," Dana added, trying to lighten the mood.

Kate rolled her eyes, putting a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder. "Besides no-one's forcing you. You LITERALLY have all the time in the world."

Shrugging, Max let out a deep sigh. "I know, but I really want to. I just keep... chickening out. Then there's Rachel..." She let that sentence hang in the air for a moment before continuing. "I know it's fucked up but… how am I supposed to compete with her?"

She hated herself for thinking this way - especially given Rachel's dismal fate - but she couldn't help it. The blonde was all the things Max wasn't: a modelesque beauty, crazy intelligent, impulsive… so much more. If Rachel was around… she wouldn't even get a look in. It was only down to unfortunate circumstances that she could get this close to Chloe.

Dana and Kate exchanged glances, the former speaking. "Max, it's not a competition. Look... just be yourself. Chloe loves you for you – shit anyone can see that - and I don't think anyone's gonna argue about how you feel about her. So, just start off with something comfortable before you jump in the deep end."

"I think my comfort zone is a little too comfortable for me. Jeans and hoodie huddled under a duvet." Sure, they had done things a little more adventurous than that, but it was too embarrassing to say aloud.

"Probably a little…" Dana conceded, giving it some serious thought. "Okay, just outside your comfort zone then, and go from there."

"You'll be fine, Max. Besides... sometimes it's good to let someone else take control," Kate mentioned reassuringly.

"Practice what you preach, missy," Dana smirked playfully.

"Uh, I wasn't talking about... us," Kate muttered, turning a little pink.

"Never thought I'd hear you encouraging this. Hang on... wait, I thought you..." Max looked towards Dana in surprise, who just held her hands up grinning.

"You know what they say. Watch out for the quiet ones."

"Wowser…" was all Max could utter, watching her friend grow progressively pinker.

"Things… change," she shrugged, trying to pass off her embarrassment. "Particularly after being shown your world is much bigger than you originally thought... Besides, I wouldn't want to be a hypocrite."

Checking her phone quickly for the time, Max drummed her fingers on her leg. Not too long now. "Well, Chloe finishes work in about an hour. Gives me a little time to grab a shower and get ready."

"Well, we will leave you to it then," Kate said cheerily, giving the brunette a hug and dragging Dana towards the door.

"But, but... gossip," Dana whined.

"Max doesn't need our help to get showered and dressed," Kate pointed out firmly.

"Oh, I dunno, might be fun," Dana chuckled, unable to help herself.

"Not really helping with the whole confidence thing, Dana," Max mumbled nervously.

"Sorry," she apologized softly. "Look just relax. You'll be fine."

"If you need anything drop me a text, okay," Kate demanded, not wanting her friend to suffer in silence.

"I will." Max nodded as the two girls disappeared out of the room.

Once showered and dressed, Max made her way to the bus stop just making it in time. Listening to her music, she could feel the butterflies building in her stomach at what she was about to do.

'Okay, Max… you are NOT going to chicken out this time. You know you want this… and it's clear Chloe does, too. So, there is no reason to be a coward…' However many times she repeated this, whatever logical argument she posed to herself, the nerves didn't go away.

The bus pulled up and she got off, each step she took towards the Price house feeling heavy. Her heart was in her throat. Why did she have to overthink every little detail?

Arriving at Chloe's house and spotting her girlfriend's truck in the drive, Max made her way inside. With an absence of the blue-haired punk downstairs, she made her way upstairs. Letting herself into Chloe's room, she found her sat at the desk.

Before the punk could turn to greet her, Max froze time and rewound to just before she entered, turning it into a freeze. Taking a shaky breath, she quickly stripped down to her black underwear.

'Enjoy the show, Nona?' Max thought, feeling herself go red as she walked up behind the frozen punk. She placed her hands over the older girl's eyes, letting time resume. "Guess who."

No turning back now…

The bluenette jumped slightly, not expecting the sudden sight loss or voice. "Holy shit, Max… you're such a time cheat."

"Guilty as charged," she replied, not taking her hands off Chloe's eyes just yet.

Noticing the reluctance, Chloe didn't force her to move but did question it. "So… think I'll be allowed to see anytime soon?"

"I… yeah, yeah…" Her resolve was starting to falter, still time to run away from it all. 'No, Maxine Caulfield. No way. You've come this far.'

Slowly, she peeled her hands from Chloe's face. The bluenette blinked a few times, leaning back in the chair and aiming her head up to look at the younger girl's face. Her mischievous smile faltered, turning to confusion and then…

"Max…" She sounded hesitant, not quite sure how to react.

Not answering, the brunette took a step back, Chloe swiveling around to fully assess the situation. Her eyes widened slightly, taking in the sight. Clearly, she had not been expecting this. Clamping down on her insecurity and pushing away the urge to cover herself up, Max let her stare for a while. Then, she grabbed hold of a hand with chipped blue nail varnish, dragging her to her feet. Still stunned, Chloe went along with it. She hadn't said a word, still confused as to where this was going.

'Okay, take it step by step…'

Banishing her nerves as far back as she could, she pulled the blue-haired punk into a hug. Chloe didn't seem to know what to do with her hands, eventually wrapping around Max in a slightly awkward hug. After a few seconds, the brunette pulled back a little and leaned in for a kiss, which her girlfriend accepted. It didn't take long for the apprehension to fade slightly, lips locked and tongues dancing. This was the easy part, something they had done more times than Max could count. Somewhere in the passionate pursuit, they had moved across to Chloe's bed. Breaking the kiss momentarily, they tumbled back onto it.

Chloe looked like she was about to say something, Max silencing whatever it was with another kiss. No doubt, she would ask what was going on. If she paused, questioned, she would lose all her confidence to do this. The older girl's hands brushed against bare skin as they made out, Max's wandering too. Steadying shaking fingers, the brunette pulled at her blue-haired girlfriend's clothing, eager to get them on a level playing field. Chloe helped her, moving as needed until she was just in her underwear too.

Knowing what was going to come next, not far off now, Max faltered. And Chloe picked up on it.

Before the brunette could silence the concern again, her girlfriend pulled back firmly. "Max… please listen to me. I know I joke about it a lot but… don't force yourself. I only want to do this when you want to. Otherwise, that's no fun."

"I'm not…" The sentence had started off much angrier than desired, Max taking a second to breathe. "…forcing myself. Don't think that. I'm doing this because I want to."

"Then why are you shaking?" Chloe asked, voice flickered with concern.

"Because…" Max faltered, wondering whether she should let her doubts loose or not. "I don't want to fuck it up. This is a big thing for me and I want it to work."

"You won't fuck up, Max," the bluenette reassured, pressing a light kiss to her forehead. "And even if you do, that's okay too. Sometimes, the first time doing something can be complicated and messy. But the fact that I'm here right now proves that the second chance work, however screwed the first time is." A playful grin tugged at her lips. "Although, I guess getting screwed is kinda the aim of the game here."

Groaning, Max shoved her shoulder, feeling a little better. She felt so silly for worrying now, already knowing Chloe would understand.

"So, you still want to do this or…?" Her sentence faded away, caught up in staring.

Instead of replying, Max leaned in for a deep kiss. Yes, she was still a little nervous but she no longer shook.

Hand roamed half-naked bodies, eager yet gentle. There was an understated confidence in the movements, each girl trusting the other entirely. How could they not after everything they had been through? Fingers and lips caressed skin – neck, shoulders, stomach, face, breasts - sometimes leaving light marks… and some not so faint. Teeth grazed, nipping and lightly tugging. Hearts beating in and out of sync, soft sighs and low moans escaping from lips.

Bras undone, thrown carelessly to the floor, forgotten in the wake of more immediate desires. Hands fondling and massaging bare breasts, warm bodies rubbing. Involuntary shudders and grinding, the weirdly intoxicating state of limbo intensifying. One look of confirmation amongst the fumbled exploration of mostly charted out territory. A kiss for reassurance, another for courage and a final one just… because.

The final barrier removed, nothing left to hide. A moment or two to process, understand what doing this would mean, and then…

Cautiously, Max brushed her hand against Chloe's inner thigh, watching her tense ever so slightly. "Someone's feeling brave. You know, you can worry about that next ti-" Her mild protests stopped dead in their tracks as fingers slid in between her leg. "Fuck, uh… okay, never mind."

Feeling just a little pleased with herself, the brunette's smugness was soon flattened as Chloe returned the favor. With practiced motions, the taller girl carefully eased a finger inside her old friend to test the waters. Once or twice, she had... imagined scenarios like this with herself and Max. There had been a lot of unresolved feelings lingering since the hipster left for Seattle. Being a confused teen going through puberty hadn't helped with that. She had tried to ignore it, getting angry instead. That method had limited success, as now proved.

A sharp intake of breath from Max, the sensation unfamiliar yet not unpleasant. Over the years, she had been fairly uninterested in sex, even relationships. They felt like a foreign and distant concept. On occasion she had considered it, each time wondering whether Chloe had a boyfriend or... whatever. In hindsight, she might've been jealous of whoever her childhood best friend trusted enough to expose herself entirely to, totally vulnerable. From the sounds of it, the bluenette had been involved with a few questionable hook-ups. The 'bad boy' phase. She seemed pretty cynical when it came to guys and maybe that was why.

The gasp was enough for the bluenette to falter, waiting to see if this was still what her girlfriend wanted. Just like Max, she didn't want to fuck this up; she had a long history of doing that. This was one thing in her life she didn't want to ruin.

Blue eyes met, mirroring similar levels of longing and love. They continued to kiss as fingers got to work, breaking occasionally to let out a heavy breath or throaty moan. Max had never done this before, not once, but she took her cues from Chloe – who was pretty vocal with her approvals. It didn't take a genius to figure out that certain sounds meant she was on the right track. As for the bluenette, she'd done this a couple of times before but everyone was different. There was no guarantee of universal arousal from a certain technique. Trial and error. In some ways, she felt the pressure to perform because she supposedly knew what she was doing. If they were going to do this, it needed to be something memorable for all the right reasons.

Regardless of experience, of their time spent together in the past and now, they were both practically going in blind. Something completely new to learn about one another, not just rehashing old truths as they had been doing since reuniting. Even if it was a little scary crossing that barrier, they would be doing it together. That was all they needed. Coiling pressure, heat rising, beads of sweat and breath turning shallow. Sounds they had never heard from each other reverberating off the walls. Each moan of pleasure encouraged the girls, trying desperately to concentrate on their task as the faint call of orgasm beckoned them.

Max was the first to be tipped over the edge, with Chloe following shortly after. She managed to hold out just long enough to watch that first wave hit her girlfriend, taking a mental picture to burn into her retinas. No way would she be forgetting it in a hurry. The brunette was too far gone to even notice, tingling heat bubbling through her, pulsating from the very core. Never had she felt something so... intense. It had been almost too much to bear in the leadup, a seemingly inescapable limbo.

Their final cries intermingled, bodies stiffening as the building pressure overcame them completely. Both collapsed into a heap of limbs in the aftermath, eventually shifting into one another's arms. They stayed like that for some time, silent. The only communication they shared at that time was through brief kisses and gentle head bumps, the odd nervous smile. Words weren't necessary right now... or possible.

From strangers to acquaintances, to friends, to good friends, to best friends… back to strangers. Then to friends again and finally lovers. It was a wild rollercoaster ride.

"Feels a little bit weird, doesn't it?" Chloe finally broke the silence, painfully curious to know which side of the make or break fence this experience would put them. Was it too much too early for Max? Not even her rewind would help her if it was. The deed was done.

She didn't have to worry, the younger girl pressing a kiss to her lips. "Yeah, good weird."

"That goes without saying. Can't get much better than me, right?" That statement seemed to ask for reassurance.

Stifling a smirk, Max shrugged. "I guess."

"Oh, you are so in trouble, Caulfield." Chloe began blowing raspberries and peppering kisses against her girlfriend's skin in equal measure.

After some squealing and attempts to escape the onslaught, Max rested her head on the pillow staring directly at the woman she loved. Words nor actions would ever be enough to express it. "Seriously, Chloe… there's nobody I'd rather be with right now or ever. Nobody I'd rather do... this with. And I almost lost you to my own stupidity… more than once."

Cupping her cheek and kissing her softly, the blue-haired punk smiled sadly. "Well, you don't have to worry about losing me anymore. Whether you like it or not, I'm here to stay."

Notes:

There a few mental images for you...an aggressive Kate :P

oh and our lovebirds finally crossed the bridge

I'm sure I can hear a few of you shouting hallelujah

Until next time

Peace out