Disclaimer: I don't own Life is Strange.

We Are Forged In Fire (We Will Never Fall)

Chapter Two: This Convergence is Inked Upon Our Skin

Max fights for the right to leave Seattle early.

There's no way anything is going to keep her from Chloe's side now, and her parents back her up, citing soulmate-emotional-trauma legislation left, right and centre with her teachers and the Principal of her school. They win and Max gets to sit her final exams early, and then she is setting off for Arcadia Bay as fast as is humanly possible, willing her parents' car on with every passing mile.

Chloe all but throws herself at her the second she arrives, and Max can feel her overwhelming relief and joy singing out across the bond, Max, Max, Max, oh thank God –

They spend two days just curled up together in Chloe's room, while Chloe alternates between weeping and clinging to her remaining soulmate, and furiously stalking around her room, yelling about the incompetence of the police, even as her voice cracks with grief. "An accident! Rachel likes hiking in the forest, and so they put that together with the fact they couldn't evidence of anything, not even a – a – body," her voice breaks but she pushes on, angrily swiping away her tears, "So they're just fucking writing her off as having some kind of accident! It's complete bullshit, Rachel's too experienced a hiker to make stupid mistakes!"

"What do you think happened, Chloe?" Max asks quietly. "You knew her best."

Chloe huffs, then turns and flings herself down next to the other girl, curling into her side. Max wraps her arms around her automatically, trying to give her all the comfort she can. Chloe is silent for a few moments, then sighs quietly. "I don't know, Max," she mumbles against her side, the heat of her breath making goosebumps rise on Max's skin. "But I have to find out. I can't go through the rest of my life not knowing."

"Whatever you need, Chloe," Max promises, quiet but fierce, her heart aching for her tough, fragile soulmate. "Whatever you need."

xxx

Despite their best efforts, they don't find out much over the summer.

Max finally gets to meet Rachel's other soulmate (the one she actually found, oh God, that means someone out there had her words fade away and never even got the chance to meet her) and she thinks she would have found Frank intimidating under any other circumstances, but now he just looks broken, his eyes red from crying and his dog pressed against his legs in an futile attempt to comfort him.

"Whatever help I can give you, you have it," he promises, his voice hoarse with tears. "Anything for Rachel." His left hand keeps creeping up to touch his right shoulder in a seemingly unconscious gesture, where Max can see faint silver-white words just edging out from the collar of his jacket.

Chloe nods stiffly, briefly touching Frank's arm in silent acknowledgement before she and Max leave. The two have never got on, but a mutual love and grief for Rachel is definitely something they share.

They spend the rest of the summer trying to find out as much as they can, attempting retrace Rachel's steps before she died. It's frustratingly difficult to get a clear picture of anything that happened; Rachel attended one of the apparently infamous Vortex Club parties the night before she went hiking, and all possible witnesses were either drunk, high, or both. And then hungover the next day. (Max isn't very optimistic about the majority of her future classmates.)

They spend several fruitless weeks searching the forest in the area around Blackwell Academy themselves, just in case. Unsurprisingly, they turn up nothing.

"We won't give up, Chloe," Max says, crouching down to where Chloe's slumped against a tree trunk, hugging her knees to her chest and staring blankly into the distance. She can feel how disheartened the other girl is from the lack of progress.

Chloe nods, still staring into distance. "I – it's just I can't help but wish we'd had the same kind of bond you and me have, Max. We never developed the empathic connection – but if we had, I might have – I might have known, I might have felt it when something happened, I would have been able to do something –"

"You can't think like that, Chloe," Max says, kneeling swiftly and pulling her soulmate into a hug. Chloe leans in willingly, curling into the comfort Max provides. "No one can control whether a empathic bond happens or not, you can't torture yourself by agonising over what-ifs."

Chloe huffs. "I know that, you dork." But she relaxes further into the hug, and Max can feel some of her guilt dissipate, easing into tentative acceptance of the offered comfort.

xxx

Max moves out of Chloe's house and into the Blackwell Academy dorms in the last week of August, and Chloe follows in her wake, helping her shift boxes and unpack, all while keeping up a disparaging commentary on the accommodation specifically and Blackwell in general.

"Chloe, you don't have to keep trying to persuade me the accommodation sucks in an attempt to get me to stay at your house," Max says, as she tips her toiletries onto the bed. She can feel Chloe's anxiety under her brash dislike of the school. "I get this room as part of my scholarship – I might as well use it. Plus you can always crash with me, instead of the other way around."

Chloe pauses in mid-step, thinking it over and immediately brightens. "Well, I am for anything that involves avoiding the step-douche."

"Plus it means a shorter walk to classes in the morning," Max reminds her, a grin tugging at her mouth as Chloe groans.

"That's not a plus, Max!"

"Hey, you did start attending all your classes again," Max says, still grinning. "You must care at least a little."

Chloe rolls her eyes. "I'm not attending for me, Mad Max. You and Mom are the ones that actually care about my stupid education."

"I know. Thank you, Chloe," Max says earnestly, beaming at her. "I really am happy you're here with me."

Chloe blinks, startled, then a pink flush spreads across her cheeks and she huffs, stalking to the door. "Yeah, yeah," she says, yanking open. "Let's go meet your dormmates, already."

Max follows, still smiling at the mixture of pleasure and embarrassment emitting from her soulmate, and she hopes that this is the start of better things.

xxx

Max finds her second soulmate pretty much completely by accident in the first week of classes.

It's rarely at the forefront of her thoughts now, after thirteen years of not finding anyone apart from Chloe. But she sits next to a pretty girl in her English class, whose blonde hair is up in a bun, and when she spots the book the other girl is reading she forgets her shyness for a moment, exclaiming, "Oh, is that The October Country by Ray Bradbury? I've been meaning to read it for a while now, is it any good?"

A stunned expression crosses the other girl's face and Max has a moment of self-conscious worry that she just came across as way too eager. Then the blonde girl stutters, "I've – I've only just started reading it myself, but you can borrow it when I'm done, if you want?"

Then it's Max's turn to be shocked and she stares in absolute disbelief. "Are you – are we –?" Her hand unconsciously moves to her left hip where those exact words are written in neat cursive.

The blonde girl laughs, a little teary-eyed but clearly delighted. "I think so. I'm – I'm Kate by the way." She holds out a hand that only trembles slightly and Max clasps it eagerly, beaming at her.

"I'm Max, and I'm so, so pleased to finally meet you!"

Mrs. Hoida walks in and they have to postpone the conversation until after class, where Chloe joins them. Max feels a flash of surprise and jealousy from her when Max introduces Kate in an excited burble, but Chloe still greets her in a relatively friendly fashion.

They discover that Kate has two soulmates, but Max is the first one she's found, and that she's a devout Christian, and has a pet rabbit called Alice whom she adores. Less obviously, but increasing apparent the longer they talk, is that Kate is kind and sweet and shy, and Max is already a little infatuated with how lovely she is.

The bell rings and they have to separate for class, but Kate promises to find her after, and Max and Chloe head off to History together. "I'm happy for you," Chloe tells her, squeezing her hand briefly. There's a lingering feeling of jealousy, but it's undeniable that she's pleased that Max is happy.

Max squeezes her hand back and beams at her, letting her affection for Chloe blaze across her face and across their bond. "Thank you, Chloe."

Embarrassed affection blooms from Chloe in return, even as the jealously fades in the face of the undeniable strength of Max's feelings, and she returns Max's smile, before gesturing her into the classroom in front of her. "C'mon, Mad Max, we have science to do."

Xxx

The universe, Max decides less than a day later, is definitely having a joke at her expense.

She walking down the hallway, talking to Chloe (not paying as much as attention to where's she going as she should), when she collides hard with someone. With a yelp, they both go tumbling to the floor in tangle of limbs.

Max manages to pull back and finds herself face to face with a girl with short blonde hair and sharp features that she recognises from Mr Jefferson's class. "I am sosorry!" Max exclaims, mortified. She pushes herself unsteadily to her feet, aware of Chloe hovering somewhere behind her as she offers the other girl a hand up. "Uh, you're doing photography too, right? I've seen you before."

The blonde girl freezes for a moment, an expression of shock crossing her face. Her gaze flickers over Max, before her eyes narrow and her expression hardens into one of contempt. She smacks aside Max's proffered hand, and rises on her own. "Yeah, I've seen you in class before. Why don't you do yourself a favour, and just stay out of my way?"

Then she shoulders past Max, two other girls hurrying in her wake, and all Max can do is stare after her, stunned by the appearance of another soulmate a mere day after meeting Kate. She recovers a second later, taking a hasty step after her. "Um, wait! Please! Aren't we –?"

The blonde girl whirls around and snaps angrily, "No, we are not! As if someone like me could possibly have anything to do with someone like you." Then she turns, and resumes her march.

Max is rooted in place, the coldness of rejection sweeping over her like icy rain. "No fucking way," she hears Chloe say beside her. Incredulousness and anger radiate off her blue-haired soulmate, who is glaring after the blonde girl. "Victoria Chase is one of your soulmates?! What fucking gives universe? And how fucking dare she just brush you off like that? I oughta –"

"No, Chloe," Max manages to say, placing her hand on Chloe' arm. Her soulmate is rigid with anger and the potential for violence, but no matter how much Victoria's rejection hurts, Max doesn't want her soulmates to fight because of it. "It's okay. Maybe she'll change her mind later."

Chloe glances down at her, and her anger immediately melts into concern. "Max, are you okay? No, that's a dumb question."

She tugs Max into a hug and Max leans in immediately, despite them being in the middle of a public corridor. Chloe's arms make her feel safe and she hides her face against Chloe's neck, blinking to get rid of the faint prickling of tears. "It'll be okay. It will."

xxx

It's been two days and what Max has seen so far of Victoria hasn't endeared the other girl to her at all.

She's trying very hard to keep an open mind (there has to be a reason after all, that fate, or destiny, or whatever, has inked Victoria's words across her skin and vice versa) but it's hard when she sees Victoria's casual cruelty and the effect of her cutting remarks on other people every day in class and in the hallways.

But it's not until Friday afternoon that she becomes really, truly angry at Victoria. It's the last class of the day, Cultural Anthropology, and Max and Kate manage to snag seats next to each other. Chloe's not in this class, but Max can feel the occasional flutters of interest through their bond and thus is thoroughly distracted wondering what's caught Chloe's attention elsewhere in the building when it happens.

"Excuse me, Victoria? I'm sorry to interrupt, but would you mind passing me my pen? It's rolled under your seat."

Kate's low, apologetic tone snags Max's attention, bringing her back to herself, and she turns in her seat just in time to see Victoria, seated on the other side of Kate, blanch in horror. Then her eyes narrow and she hisses venomously, "Oh, you've got to be kidding me – is being saddled with one loser for a soulmate not enough?"

Every muscle in Kate's body seems to lock up for an instant, and her face whitens in shock. Then her expression slowly slides into utter devastation, and Max clenches her fists against the sudden flash of white-hot anger that leaps through her. She's never been one for violence, or even confrontation, but the sight of tears slowly welling in Kate's eyes makes Max want to punch Victoria right in her perfect, fucking face.

The bell rings and Max sweeps Kate out of the classroom as fast as she can. She barely manages to get Kate somewhere out of the public eye, before the other girl breaks down into jagged, tearing sobs and all Max can do is wrap her in a hug and hold on tight.

At some point, Max is dimly aware of the door sliding open behind them, and the familiar feeling of Chloe's presence slips into the room, radiating concern and anger in equal measure. Max meets her questioning gaze over the top of Kate's head, and gives a slight shake of her own head. She knows Chloe must have been alarmed by her sudden spike of uncharacteristic rage in class, but it's more important that she comforts Kate first before she explains. Not now, she tries to say with her eyes, and Chloe nods, although her dissatisfaction with the situation is evident as she leans back against the wall.

Eventually, Kate's sobs trail off and she goes quiet, sniffling against Max's chest. "I'm sorry," she mutters, low and miserable. "This is stupid of me – I know she's your soulmate too –"

"Don't apologise," Max says, anger flaring inside her again. "I think it's okay to be disappointed when a soulmate turns out to be someone like Victoria Chase. She has everything – what possible reason could she have to be so cruel to virtually everyone she meets?"

"Especially her soulmates," Chloe cuts in, dark and furious. Max can see the realisation on her face, the thunderous look in her bright blue eyes. "Doesn't she know what a fucking blessing it is to find them? Ungrateful bitch." Anger, and under it, aching grief, flares through their bond, piercing Max through with sorrow.

"I always knew it might happen though," Kate says miserably, leaning against Max. "With a soulmark like that, how could I not? But I guess I always hoped it – it was a joke or something."

"Maybe – maybe she'll come around eventually," Max says. She can't keep the doubt out of her voice, but surely, Victoria is more than her scathing comments and abrasive exterior.

Despite her uncertainty, Max's words still make Kate look marginally more hopeful, her face brightening a little. "Maybe you're right." She sniffs, brushing away the tears still clinging to her eyelashes.

"C'mon, I think we've cried enough over Victoria for one week," Max says, seizing the opportunity. "Let's do something fun."

It doesn't take her long to coax Kate and Chloe into a movie night, and they're soon all curled up in a nest of blankets on her bed, eating, drinking and watching a marathon of movie classics. Kate falls asleep halfway through Grease at about 1am, despite Chloe's not-so-quiet heckling of the film, and Max can only smile at the sight of her face, relaxed in contented sleep.

With any luck, things might be easier from now on.

xxx

Soulmates, Max decides, are like buses. None for ages and then they all show up at once.

It's the second week of classes and she's in Science together with Chloe, the classroom a buzzing hive of activity as everyone carries out a paired experiment. Max is focusing on their work when there's suddenly a loud bang behind her, the sound of breaking glass and then something splatters across the back of her t-shirt. She practically leaps out of her skin with a loud yelp and Chloe whips around, glaring aggressively at the person behind them. "Hey, watch it jackass!" she snaps, at virtually the same moment as a voice says, with considerable dismay,

"Oh man! That was not what was meant to happen at all, I'm so sorry!"

Max shakes her head in despair at her t-shirt, before turning around to meet the mortified gaze of a boy with messy brown hair, and smile gamely at him. "It's fine, it was an accident. I have plenty more t-shirts where that came from."

The boy's eyes widen in shock, at the exact same time it registers with Max with he just said. "No way," she breathes, feeling her own eyes go wide, as he starts spluttering in surprise.

Chloe takes one look at them both and rolls her eyes. "Oh for God's sake. Let's get through this class and then you two can get acquainted."

They all get a table together at lunch (Kate's began eating with them too and the way she both is surprised and pleased for Max definitely gives her a case of the warm fuzzies) and Max discovers his name is Warren. He shares her love of all things geeky, likes art, but loves science.

"I swear, today in class was a total fluke!" he claims, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment, in a way that Max finds very endearing. "Science is normally where I shine, not where I –"

"Accidently throw chemicals over your soulmate?" Chloe interjects with a grin, which prompts a protest from Max, swatting lightly at Chloe as she starts laughing, and Warren apologising profusely again.

When they've all calmed down again, Warren asks Max what made her return to Arcadia Bay. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm delighted you're here!" he says hastily. "But I just wondered why you didn't stay in Seattle…"

"Well, mostly I'm here for Chloe," Max says smiling warmly at her blue-haired soulmate. "We found out we were soulmates when we met in kindergarten, and I wouldn't have left at all if it hadn't been for my Mom's job. So basically as soon as I could, I applied for the Blackwell scholarship." She doesn't mention the urgency that Rachel's death leant to the situation – that's Chloe's story to share, if she wants to – and carries on in a more light-hearted tone. "Plus, Mark Jefferson is teaching the photography classes here – and how often do you get the chance to be mentored by one of your inspirations?"

"Oh, you're into photography?" Warren says interestedly, putting his bottle of water back down on the table.

Max nods. "Yep. Always. Ever since I was a little kid, I've known I wanted to be a photographer. I prefer analogue to digital though."

She's a little embarrassed but Warren seems genuinely interested, and Kate is listening attentively too. "Can we see some of your photos?" he asks and her minor embarrassment turns into major embarrassment at the thought.

"Ah, well, they're not very good," she manages to say before Chloe cuts her off.

"Oh, come off it, Max." She says, half-encouraging, half-exasperated. "Your photos are awesome, stop putting yourself down."

Max is pretty sure she's blushing bright red now, but thankfully Kate swoops in to rescue her. "Maybe Max can show us later," she says, smiling gently. "Class is going to start again in two minutes, we should probably get going."

"Shoot, I have P.E. next," Warren groans, his head thunking down theatrically on the tabletop, and Max is quite thankful that the subject is changed as they all start rising from their seats.

Thank God Warren is such a nice person though. After meeting Victoria…I know Chloe and I used to joke about one of my soulmarks belonging to 'Asshole Soulmate', but it really isn't funny at all now it's actually happening. And poor Kate deserves better than that treatment too.

xxx

Chloe is crashing in Max's dorm room that night, as she does most nights, and the conversation has trailed off into sleepiness and silence. Max is nearly asleep, but her brain is still sluggishly turning over the events of the last week and a half.

God…thirteen years with just Chloe, and now in space of ten days I have three new soulmates, on top of the new school craziness. Thank God Chloe is here to ground me…

There's a warm glow that seems to fill her entire chest as she sleepily contemplates how much Chloe's been there for her, thinking of her brash fierceness and steady reassuring presence always at her side, of her wicked smile and the way she always looks so beautiful no matter what she's wearing or doing…

It is then, lying in the dark at 2am, with warmth of her sleeping soulmate beside her, that Max comes to a quiet, but somehow still startling revelation.

I am in love with Chloe Price.

It's quiet and effortless and gentle but it still somehow steals the breath from her lungs like she's been punched. Max is suddenly wide awake. Chloe's back is pressed against her own, a warm and reassuring weight, the sound of her breathing slow and even as she sleeps, and the depth and acuity of Max's love is so overwhelming that it is an almost painful pressure in her chest.

She blinks away the tears that have unexpectedly welled in her eyes and tries to breathe past the emotion suddenly clogging her throat. She's always known she loves Chloe, from almost the moment she met her, and while that love has changed and matured over the years, she's still always believed it to be a platonic bond.

She spends half an hour wrestling with herself, first trying to reason out if it changes anything for her, and then more importantly, trying to figure out if it changes anything for Chloe.

No, she decides at last, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her chest. Even if we share a romantic bond after all, Chloe is still grieving the loss of her last one. It would be the height of selfishness for me to drop this on her right now; I can bring it up at a later date, once she's had a chance to heal.

It takes surprisingly little time for Max to fall asleep after that. After all she's always loved Chloe; it's merely the perspective that's changed.

A/N: Oh Max. Took you long enough. xD

That aside, this chapter was mostly set up, introducing most of the soulbonds (except Nathan, who's late to the party). Next chapter, the ball starts rolling on the main plot, we'll have some Kate and Victoria POV (possibly Warren POV too) and Nathan will finally show up.

Thanks for reading guys, if you liked it, please leave a comment and let me know what you thought. :)