Chloe was sitting on the rail of the balcony, a cigarette clamped between her lips. It was chilly in Chicago, but she refused to put her jacket on, braving it in just a tank top. Max could see the goosebumps on her arms, but she kept her mouth shut, knowing Chloe's pride wouldn't allow her to fetch her jacket now.
Max took a picture just as the girl began to exhale, shaking her shot before leaving it, and the camera, on the table. After pulling on her coat like a sensible person, she joined Chloe outside, flashing the girl a smile before sidling up next to her, close enough that her arm pressed against the other girl's leg.
"Did you take another picture of me? How many is that, even?" Chloe wondered. Max shrugged, grinning up at her sheepishly.
"Sorry. You're just really beautiful. I don't even mean to do it sometimes." She admitted. Chloe's cheeks got a bit redder, and Max knew it wasn't because of the chill. She didn't take compliments very well, it had become obvious.
Upon exhaling, a cloud of steam spilled from Max's lips.
"It's cold. Are you sure you don't want a jacket?" She wondered. Chloe scoffed, nudging her with her knee.
"I'm fine. Wanna smoke a joint real quick, since you're out here?" She asked, hopping down from her perch.
"Okay." Max agreed, shoving her hands in her pockets to protect her fingers. Chloe was insane.
She produced the promised joint in little to no time, so she must have already had it done, as if she knew Max would say yes. She probably did. After rolling her eyes at Max's huddled posture, Chloe nudged the joint between the other girl's lips and lit it for her. Max puffed, then let Chloe take it for her turn. She felt the haze settle over her rather quickly, and sighed happily as it seemed to take the edge off the cold just a bit, though her body shivered as if in protest.
Chloe passed it back to her, then lurched forward and stuffed herself into the extra space in Max's coat. Her arms wrapped around the brunette's middle, cold where they pressed against her back. Smoke came up as Max laughed, wrapping her arms around Chloe with her hands still in her pockets, so that they were both cocooned inside.
It was awkward, seeing as Chloe was taller. She had to stoop, and maneuver the joint and lighter between them, since Max couldn't use her hands. But it was also cozy.
"Not a word, Maxaroni." She warned as Max opened her mouth, caught red-handed about to make a snide remark about her 'not needing a coat.' She settled for a chuckle, letting Chloe finish off the joint before releasing her so they could shuffle back inside.
"We're so ordering a pizza." Chloe announced, rooting through all of the drawers in the room until she found a binder. "What do you like on pizza? Oh, wait, right. Um, do you like pepperoni?"
Max didn't know what a pepperoni was. Chloe seemed to catch on.
"Alright, well, good thing you're not a picky eater. I'll get something relatively normal, for your sake. You can have first shower. Pizza might be here when you get out." She offered.
Max shuffled into the bathroom without argument, ready to warm up in the shower after being outside. She'd never really appreciated showers until they'd become a rare treat. Granted, they were much nicer now, since she knew she didn't have an audience. Every part of the bunker had been under surveillance, including the bathrooms.
Privacy was new and wondrous. How anyone could live their whole lives on camera, she couldn't imagine. How she'd done it up until her escape was another mystery to her. Now she didn't have to be embarrassed about how long she was in the bathroom, or conscious of which direction she was facing when she bent over in the shower. Some guards and monitors didn't have anything better to do than to humiliate her with information they shouldn't have about times that should have been private.
Chloe knocked on the door, then it opened.
"Sorry dude, I gotta pee crazy bad." She called over the curtain. Max made a noncommittal noise.
Perhaps Chloe counted as an invasion of privacy. It was incredibly common for her to interrupt Max's showers, and even more common for them to be in the bathroom at the same time. Traveling together the way they did meant they'd seen pretty much all of each other. It was strange, though; It had never been bothersome. It never felt like Chloe was scrutinizing or leering at her, like some of the guards had done. She just sort of existed in the same space, like she always did.
It was perhaps a little comforting, even. It had already become so natural that it felt normal. Like they really were living together. It was a nice thought, at least.
"Flush when you get out. Didn't want to turn you into Lobster-Max." Chloe called. Max just managed a 'thanks' as the door clicked shut again.
What was it going to be like when Chloe was gone? It was jarring to picture leaving the bathroom to find anything but the girl sprawled out on the bed, or sitting in a chair the wrong way watching TV. Again, Max had to shake the thought from her mind. She couldn't think like that. It hurt.
Chloe grinned at her from the bed when she emerged, brandishing a cardboard box victoriously. That would be the food then. Max shuffled through her bag till she found a fresh pair of underwear and a shirt to sleep in, wrapping her hair up in the towel before joining Chloe for dinner.
What it was, she wasn't entirely sure. It sort of looked like bread cut in a circle, but also cheese, and it had red dots all over. Chloe handed her a paper plate, then scooped up a piece, which oozed with melted cheese that had Max's eyes lighting up and her mouth watering, and deposited it, along with a plastic fork.
"Pizza, Max, is the ultimate food. Bread, cheese, garlic, meat, veggies, whatever the fuck you want. All together and baked to golden perfection. Like, look at this beautiful shit." She urged, gesturing to the piece she'd claimed for herself. Max nodded, understanding her enthusiasm.
"This is a deep dish, because we're in Chicago. It's what they do. You have to use a fork. I mean, you don't have to, I guess, but like, your funeral." She shrugged. "It'll change depending on where you go. In New York, it's all about thin crust. It's super flat, and you fold it in half and just carry it with you and eat. We'll get some pizza there too." She promised, taking a bite at last. As if that was the permission she needed, Max began eating as well.
McDonalds had nothing on Pizza.
"I love pizza." She shared.
As she always did, Chloe found her honest reactions hilarious and began laughing. Max couldn't help but join her. Chloe had a special kind of laugh, when she really meant it. It was so honest and open, impossible to ignore, but a bit hard to coax out.
Max was glad she could, though. It made her laugh in earnest too.
It came to a halt with the sound of a shutter though. It was disorienting to be on the receiving end of her camera, and she blinked while Chloe flicked her wrist, the film flapping in the air.
"Revenge is sweet, Maxo." She said, winking.
"I hope I wasn't making a face." Was all Max replied. Returning to her pizza with a small smile still in place. Chloe left the developing photo on the table, getting back to work as well. As usual, there were no scraps, but there were two very full girls. It was a miracle Chloe managed to roll herself out of bed and into a shower.
A minute or so into listening to the water rushing through the pipes, Max forced herself to her feet, retrieving her own photo of Chloe on the balcony from the table. She placed it next to Chloe's picture of her, which had developed as well. They were both really good pictures, she thought. Even though she didn't really have an opinion on her own visage, the photo captured her emotion very well. It felt as happy as she had in that moment.
Chloe was never long in the shower, and sure enough she was rooting around for clothes in only a few minutes. After a while, and a few curses, she sheepishly peeked her head over the edge of the bed.
"Max, can I borrow a shirt? All of mine are pretty gross. We should do laundry." She decided, pouting her lips as if she needed to convince Max to share her belongings.
"Yeah, anything you like. The black one is clean." The brunette suggested, bopping Chloe's head, which was sopping wet from the shower. "You should really dry your hair a bit before you come out." She chastised.
"Alright, mom." Chloe mocked, shaking her head in the likeness of a dog and carelessly spraying water everywhere. Max squealed, scrambling over to the other side of the bed to hopefully be out of range in the future. She pulled the shirt on, then jumped up onto the bed, making sure to shake a little more water in Max's direction before sitting cross-legged.
"Now I need to go towel off." Max said dryly. Chloe rolled her eyes, gesturing for the photos. Max handed them over, watching as Chloe looked them over.
"These are nice shots. We should get you a portfolio. Er… That might be too much to carry around. Mmm…" She trailed, tucking the polaroids into Max hand again. Then "What do you want to do?"
It was the first time Chloe had really asked her for an opinion on what they ought to do. And even though they probably would have wound up watching television whether Max had suggested or not, being asked was kind of nice.
Chloe put on cartoons, since she knew Max had a fondness for them. They were simple and colorful, and didn't really require a watching order. They were also easy to nod off to, as Max found out a few episodes in. One minute she was answering one of Chloe's questions, and the next she was waking up to the bleary yellow sunlight of mid-morning.
It was a bit bizzare, for they usually got up pretty early, when the world was still trying to get free of the misty grey of dissipating night. Chloe was an early riser. Apparently that was still the case, for she wasn't in her normal place when Max rolled over in bed to check.
The brunette sat up, listening for noise in the bathroom, or out on the balcony. But there was no one outside, and the door to the bathroom was ajar and the light out. Panic began to rise as she found the room glaringly void of anyone but herself.
Chloe's things were still sprawled out on the floor, so she at least planned to come back.
Or didn't plan to leave-
This time her inner thoughts sounded like Jefferson, snide and cruel. She couldn't think like that, though. Why on earth would anyone have taken Chloe and not her? No. She must have left of her own accord. But then, where? And why did she go without Max, without telling her?
She found herself to be pacing, but didn't bother to stop, doing laps of the room to deal with the nervous energy bubbling in Chloe's absence. She didn't stop till the lock clicked, and Chloe swung the door open.
The girl didn't seem surprised to see Max up and about, though she did quirk a brow at the state she was in.
"Were you pacing? Put some clothes on, dude. Or close the blinds at least, you're probably giving the whole street a show. And trust me, they're not gonna pay you." She chuckled, tossing a bag at the bed before shedding out of her layers of clothing.
Max located some pants, then sat down on the bed and sighed. She ran her hands through her hair a few times, tidying it and calming herself down in one movement.
"S-sorry, I overreacted." She admitted. "I was freaking out a little cause you were gone. Sorry."
Chloe sighed as well, patting her arm.
"I don't really know if it's an overreaction, dude. You are kinda on the run from the government. I'll leave a note next time. But I went to get you a present, so you couldn't come with me, and I knew it would be hard to get you to stay here without being sneaky." This piqued Max's interest, and she eyed the bag with renewed interest. Chloe didn't miss it, and nodded her permission.
Inside the bag she found a nicely bound book, which she found to be blank.
"It's a journal, but you can use it for whatever. I thought that might be a good idea for you. You can put your pictures in there too. There's a little craft kit in there. It's got some pens, and markers, and glue and stuff." Chloe explained, looking distinctly anywhere but at Max as a smile found her lips.
"Wowser, Chloe. Thank you." She said, glancing down at the journal again and letting the smile grow big. Her earnestness had Chloe in an embarrassed fluster, but Max felt a bit like she was glowing. What a thoughtful gift she'd received.
"Yeah, dude. Whatever. Anytime."
Max only smiled harder, setting the journal aside to initiate a hug. It was an affection she had a hard time timing; Most of her attempts occurred at the wrong moment entirely, and left Chloe entirely too awkward and uncomfortable. But this one was right, she was sure.
She felt one of Chloe's hands rub her back for a moment before they parted, confirmation that she'd gotten it right. Chloe still looked pretty awkward and red, but she also seemed kind of pleased under it all. Maybe she really was proud of herself.
"You'll have to break it in later, though. We're going to the beach!" She announced, hopping back off the bed. Max blinked, confusion coloring her expression. "I mean, it's a lake, but it's salty!" Chloe added, as if to explain.
"Chloe, it's… Cold." Max pointed out.
"Sure is! Let's get a move on-" Chloe urged, tossing a jacket over her shoulder. Max caught it and hauled it on.
"You're insane." She decided. But then, she was already going along with it. She let Chloe bundle her up in her coat, and followed her down to the truck. She even got talked out of her shoes when they finally managed to find a place that wasn't illegal to park. The sand was not at all warm like Chloe had promised, and felt more like walking on grains of ice.
But walking along the frigid, damp line of the shore, elbows hooked between them… She wished she'd brought her camera. They'd probably make quite the picture. It was mostly deserted, which was reasonable, considering the temperature. But it made it seem sort of like they were still alone in the world, even in the big city.
She was starting to think she wouldn't really mind it. She could get by with just Chloe.
Something gave her the distinct feeling that the feeling wasn't mutual, though. Chloe obviously cared a lot about Rachel Amber, even still. And she had her mother, possibly a father. Probably friends, too. She was Max's whole world, at the moment, but her own was far more vast.
Maybe that was alright, though. Max would have to content herself in the knowledge that Chloe was with her, at least for the time being. They were walking down the beach together, staring across the lake and watching the people that flew down the bike paths, or ran along the trail.
"I can't feel my toes." She shared. Chloe laughed, but didn't argue, turning them around and heading back for the truck.
"Dude, I haven't been able to feel mine for a good ten minutes."
Max rolled her eyes, pushing a bit closer as the wind picked up, sending a shiver up her back.
"This was your idea." She reminded.
"Yup. No regrets. We'll have to defrost in the bath. We still need to do laundry, too." Chloe urged, picking up the pace. Max felt a bit like she was gliding, as Chloe's long legs had her going faster than she could keep up with. But the girl kept her steady, so instead of stumbling she practically skipped.
It brought back a fuzzy memory of walking between her parents when she was very young, before she'd known about her powers. With a hand in either of her parents', she was able to hop along, practically suspended between them. It was a warm memory, but tinged with her mourning. It left her unable to smile, despite how nice it felt.
Chloe slowed down, slipping her arm out of Max's and slinging it across her shoulders instead.
"Hey, you alright?" She asked, pulling the other girl against her side as she kept walking. It was warmer that way. Max nodded.
"Sorry, yeah. I was just remembering something kind of… Melancholy." She explained, looping her arm around Chloe's middle. It worked perfectly with Chloe's height.
"I'm sorry, man. Wanna talk about it?" The taller girl inquired, squeezing her shoulder softly.
"Um… Not right now." Max decided. The moment was too nice for her to bring up something so terrible. She'd probably cry if she talked about her parents, then Chloe would worry, and why ruin their good mood? It could wait. "Later though. I promise." She added to halt the hurt look that was coming over Chloe's face.
"Alright." The other girl agreed, knocking their heads together gently.
Once they were back in the room, Chloe drew a hot bath while Max got their clothes together. It felt like pins and needles when she lowered her feet into the steaming water, but it felt heavenly once they'd thawed properly. Chloe giggled as Max leaned over to lay against her side.
"No rest for the wicked, Max and Cheese. We gotta do laundry." She pointed out.
"I mean, we don't have to…" Max mumbled, wiggling her toes in the water.
"Max, we gotta."
The brunette sighed, hoisting her feet out and baring them to the chill air yet again. Chloe passed her a towel and they both dried off their feet before heading down to the laundry room. It was empty, so they didn't bother to keep quiet while they dumped their clothes in to wash.
As the washer cycled, Max got to work putting her new journal together while Chloe smoked on the balcony. Doing as Chloe suggested, she began gluing her photos in, a couple to a page. She shook it upside down when she'd finished, pleased that nothing fell out when she did.
But with that done, she was left to occupy herself yet again. Chloe faced a similar issue, as she returned from her smoke. Apparently not feeling very creative, she flopped down on the bed. Her hair fanned out to frame her face in glowing blue. She looked pale against the sheets, but no less beautiful.
Instead of snapping a photo, per her norm, Max instead grabbed a pencil out of the craft kit and began sketching a picture of the scene in her journal. Chloe seemed to catch on to what Max was up to, for she remained still until Max came over to show her the finished product. She sat up on her elbows to look it over while Max planted herself on the mattress as well.
"Not bad, Max. Artist and photographer, huh? Let me guess, you play an instrument too? Or maybe you sing…" Chloe joked. Max didn't know why it was supposedly funny, but she could tell Chloe was poking fun.
"I play the guitar." She admitted. Chloe stared at her for a moment, then laughed to herself.
"A real prodigy. Can I have this?" She requested, pointing to the drawing. Max contemplated this for a while; She'd spent a good chunk of time on it, and it was actually pretty alright. But if Chloe wanted it, then it was hers. She nodded.
Chloe grinned, pleased, and carefully tore it out along the perforated edge. She handed the book back, then leaned over to long-arm for her bag, from which she withdrew a novel that Max had never seen her read. When she flipped a few pages, the brunette caught tiny glimpses of pressed flowers and worn out photos. About halfway through, Chloe stopped and her eyes traced a few lines of text. Then she tucked the drawing between the two pages and closed the book, returning it to her bag as if it had never happened.
"We should go check the laundry. Probably about time to switch the loads." She suggested, signaling that her book was not going to be a topic of conversation. Not yet, anyway.
The washer was nearly done when they went down, so they waited in the plastic chairs, leaning against each other for support. Chloe dutifully got up to switch the clothes when they finished, then led the way back up to the room to wait that out as well.
"Let's start packing up. The clothes should be done in time for checkout."
Max was woe to part with the bed, but did as she was told, gathering their few belongings and helping Chloe load them back into the truck. On the way up, the taller girl acquired some paper bowls and they made packets of oatmeal in the microwave to tide them over till they were on the road again.
It also ate up some time, and they were soon folding clothes and checking out. In what felt like a flash, they'd left Chicago behind in favor of heading east again. The landscapes no longer boasted endless fields of fall crops, but rolling hills and distant mountains, as well as frequent peeks of lakes.
Chloe pointed a few things out as they went, but was otherwise mostly quiet. Max was starting to think it was because they were getting closer. Maybe being so near to her goal was making her thoughts buzz, her body thrumming with a numbing sort of excitement.
But the silence became deafening after hours of it, and she couldn't help but start a conversation. She'd promised to bring it up later, anyway. Might as well get it over with.
"Earlier, when you asked if I was alright-" She prompted, waiting till Chloe was on the same page before continuing. "I was just reminded of my parents."
Chloe contemplated this for a while, surely trying to imagine all the things that Max could mean by that. She wasn't stupid, though. If Chloe had proven anything, it was that she was far more intelligent than she liked to let people think.
"They're, um…" She trailed, her face already sympathetic. Max nodded grimly, already feeling her eyes prickling with the coming of tears. Admitting it out loud made it hurt that much more, and soon she couldn't help but pull her legs up onto the seat so she could bury her face in her knees.
Chloe's hand on her shoulder wasn't very warm, as per usual, but comforting nonetheless. Max didn't look up, but she appreciated the anchoring point, and she reached up to cover it with one of her own for just a moment, squeezing the other girl's thin fingers before letting her have them back to drive.
"I'm sorry." Chloe offered softly, after a moment. "Do you, uh, wanna pull over for a sec? Hug it out?" She suggested. Max didn't know what that meant, but Chloe was already pulling over, so she didn't argue. It probably involved hugging, whatever it was.
Sure enough, Chloe put the truck in park then wrapped Max up tightly in her arms, holding on until the brunette gave up on hiding in her own legs and uncurled long enough to return the hug. She was probably crushing Chloe's lungs, with how hard she held on, but it felt like the girl was the only thing that could keep her from completely breaking down into sobs.
Chloe didn't mention it, squeezing just as tight until Max could relax a little. She didn't start driving again till Max had calmed down and was working on cleaning her face up. In spite of her nature, she didn't say anything or crack any jokes about the sniffles that just wouldn't seem to stop.
After another drawn out silence, Chloe let out a small sigh.
"My mom drives me crazy." She admitted. Max glanced over, the first time she'd looked Chloe's direction since she'd stopped crying. Honestly, she felt embarrassed. But it seemed it had already been forgotten. "She nags a lot, and worries too much, and she married an asshole even though I told her not to. Cheap, too." She continued.
Max thought it a strange way to respond. Insensitive, even, if she really considered it. How could Chloe sit and complain about her own parents knowing that Max could never have that again? Was she being cruel on purpose?
"…But like… I wouldn't give her up for anything." She said, her words quick, as if she didn't really want them to be understood. That was clearly the case, for her cheeks dusted red as she spoke.
Max managed a small smile. Chloe's mom was probably a really alright lady, despite her daughter's description.
"She'd probably adore you. She loves to feed people, and you're exactly her type; Tiny, with a bottomless stomach." Chloe joked, grinning as well. She seemed relieved that her attempt at lightening up the mood had worked.
"Sounds like she'd be my type too." Max agreed. Chloe rolled her eyes.
"Mom always said the way to a man's heart was his stomach, but who thought it'd apply to skinny military fugitives, too?"
Max giggled. It was almost bizzare, to laugh at a joke made at the expense of her miserable experience. After having a taste of normalcy, though, her past life seemed almost a dream. It was hard to imagine anything but the truck, motels, highways, fast food, and Chloe.
"Your mom must be really great." She guessed.
"People always say that. You can decide for yourself, if you want. I'm sure she'd love to meet you after all this." Chloe offered
It was the end of the conversation, which was for the best, because Max suddenly had a whole lot to think about.
Chloe had implied an 'after all this.' It was vague, but there. She failed to recognize the holes in her loose suggestion, though; If they were going to New York to find Rachel Amber, surely she didn't plan on leaving without her. The truck wasn't exactly fit for more than two people. Two was pushing it, even. When it came down to it, it was going to have to be Max or Rachel. And Max had a feeling that she knew where she stood better than Chloe did.
But why say something like that without intention? Chloe was impulsive, but not dishonest or frivolous. She meant the things she said, and kept promises. So she really wanted Max to come back with her? Was she doing the math in her head, as Max was? Or was she blinded by excitement?
Max thought it unwise to bring it up. She settled instead for basking in the lighthearted atmosphere they'd managed. Chloe was singing to the radio, and she didn't stop, even when Max failed to 'sneak' a photo. She looked over when she heard the shutter, but instead of clamming up and getting flustered like she usually did, she just grinned and sang louder.
It caused a fluttering sensation to grow from Max's toes up, and without even realizing it she was smiling too. It made 'after all this' not so important. Even if there wound up never being an 'after all this,' at least she'd have 'that time with Chloe, singing in the truck.' The proof was developing between her fingers.
A/N: Six chapters already? I feel like this one is going really fast, but that's not a bad thing, I suppose. It probably feels like it's slowed down to you guys, since I've been so busy with work and ferret hospice care. But I had some time between jobs, so here we go~!
Thanks again to everyone who's been leaving feedback, I've really started to look forward to hearing from you guys. It makes my hellish schedule a bit more bearable. My free time is getting even shorter as Planet ComiCon nears and I find myself scrambling to get my costume done. New Year, same work ethic. Give a shout if you're going!
And I keep forgetting, but if any of you are tumblr people, I'm KuroRiya over there too. I have a pretty garbage blog, but I check tags related to me and my stories a little too frequently, so I figured I'd make it available.
Alright, off I go. Thanks again for reading. Laters~
KuroRiya
九六りや
