Chapter Text
When Max first found Chloe again, she was smoking. Again. She hadn’t left off the noxious fumes like that since they were little and she struggled to control her gift. This time around it more than likely had to do with her newfound freedom, and as much as the smoke tended to bother her, she couldn’t blame her. After being trapped in Curdun Cay the way she had been for five years, Max could only imagine how much she needed to let something off. She supposed she was just lucky Chloe hadn’t decided to start a fire instead.
Irregardless, she was letting off enough that Max couldn’t have helped wandering down the alleyway to see what was happening, when she caught sight of her. The blue hair, shirt with a skull, and cigarette hanging from her lips were all new, but Max would know that face anywhere. She couldn’t help herself from calling out the familiar name, “Chloe?”
The girl’s head shot up, and she squared up, prepared to fight, when their eyes met. Hers widened, and she called back in a strangled voice, eyes wetting, “Max?”
Max couldn’t help herself, she dropped her bag and flung herself at the other girl, wrapping her arms tightly around the taller girl, knocking her back a couple of steps before she caught herself and returned the hug. “Oh my god! Chloe! You’re back!” Max finally got out when she pulled back, keeping her hands on the arms of the other girl, as though she were terrified she would vanish.
Chloe couldn’t help smirking at the other girl. “Of course I’m back. Like I could ever let anyone keep the Partners in Time away from each other.”
Max frowned a little and asked, “But, the D.U.P. I saw them take you. How did you get out?”
Chloe scowled and said, “They aren’t as tuff as they like to make people think. With Augustine out here hunting down some of the ones that escaped, the idiots back at Curdun Cay couldn’t hold a table together if you gave them everything they needed. And when what’s his face took down their communication hub, they couldn’t really ask Augustine to come back to get a hold of the rampant Conduits.”
“Are…are you doing okay? I can’t even imagine what you went through.”
“You’re right, you can’t.” She gave a sigh. “Look, I’m not trying to be a bitch but I really don’t want to talk about what went down in there, okay?”
“Right, sorry.” Max nodded, taking a step back and looking down.
Chloe sighed before placing a hand on Max’s shoulder, “Hey, don’t worry about it. So what are you doing here in Seattle, finally get out of Arcadia Bay?”
“I live here now actually,” Max said. “We moved here five years ago.”
“Huh, guess I just got luck then, running into you.”
“What are you doing out here?"
Chloe shrugged, “Looking for someone. She mentioned coming here if she ever got out, and she vanished a little before me so…”
“Who is it?”
“No one you would know. She uh, she’s hella more punk than you prefer.”
“I’m plenty punk,” Max pouted.
Chloe chuckled and said, “Whatever you say killer.”
Max sighed, but couldn’t help and giggle a little a bit along with her. It’s been five years, and they still fell back into talking with one another so easily, as though a day hadn’t gone by. It was strange, but nice. Until Chloe tensed suddenly glaring over Max. “Get behind me,” she says evenly, in a commanding tone.
Max maneuvers over quickly, and as she gets behind Chloe, she sees D.U.P. soldiers, all aiming their guns at Chloe, who was rapidly letting out more smoke. “When I tell you to run, do it.”
“Hell to that.” Max muttered, and reached out, letting her mind feel everything for a moment, before she snapped it all together, and shoved her hand through the familiar barrier, plunging her hand into time. Everything froze around her, and it was so bizarre for the city to just, stop. But she wasn’t doing this to lament, or travel through nostalgia. She grabbed the flow of it, and pulled, watching the D.U.P.’s back out of the alleyway quickly, how Max hadn’t heard them was something of a mystery for her. They didn’t exactly look like they were the most subtle. When they were gone, and had been for a little bit, she finally let go, and let time resume it’s normal flow.
“Look I’m not trying to be a…Where the fuck did you go?”
Max grabbed her arm and started pulling her along behind her. “We can talk about this more in a bit, we need to go. D.U.P. men are nearby.”
Chloe burned a little hotter as more smoke trailed from her body, “Good, let them come. I could use a good fight.”
“Seriously Chloe? You don’t want them to find you this quickly, do you? After you just got away?”
She stopped for a moment, before slumping a bit, and the smoke finally dying off. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Let’s go.”
“Where have you been staying since you got here? Please don’t say a park bench.”
Chloe only offered a sheepish grin while rubbing the back of her head.”
“Okay, no. Not happening. Stay with me.”
“Right, okay.”