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"You are such a dork," Max teased, turning back to the closet as Chloe tossed herself on the bed behind her. She ran her fingers idly along the rough fabric of Rachel's flannel, momentarily obsessed with the lingering sensation on her lips after the stolen kiss.
It was Chloe's own fault, really - daring her like that. Max could be punk rock, if she really wanted to. Not that it felt much like rebellion, kissing Chloe, dare or no dare. It felt...normal. That might have been Max's favorite part.
The little flutter in the girl's voice had been all the victory Max could've hoped for. She didn't get to put Chloe off balance very often - the girl was like a blue-haired freight train most of the time, barreling after whatever she wanted, or wanted to avoid - so it was a rare treat listening to her joke about texting Warren in a voice that was a little too loud not to be covering for something.
Max touched her lips in the privacy of the closet, smiling in the dark and pulling Rachel's flannel off the hanger to try it on. It was nothing, probably - a stupid dare. It was clear Chloe wasn't over Rachel, and once they found her there was no chance Max could hold a candle to that girl's sheer level of cool. But for now, it was nice to dream.
She debated rewinding, letting Chloe dare her again and again, stealing a thousand little kisses and never quite being satisfied without Chloe ever knowing. She didn't, of course - tempting as it was, it wouldn't be right - and instead spun around to put herself on display. Rachel's clothes fit a little too well, and the look on Chloe's face was all the clue Max needed that they were sharing the same crisis.
But Max wasn't Rachel, much as she might have wanted to be right at that moment given the blush on Chloe's cheeks. Instead she laughed it off, doing her best strut and pose. In seconds they were back to their usual teasing as if nothing had happened. Like neither of them noticed the big gay elephant in the room.
Not like it mattered, Max thought. This was all just temporary. They had a mystery to solve, and once it was done, they'd go back to the way things had been before - Chloe crushing on Rachel, and Max feeling like a third wheel. For the first time since discovering her powers, Max didn't want to move forward at all, to just linger in the sunshine with the girl she loved, had always loved, would always love. But she couldn't do that to Chloe.
Rubbing the sleeves of the flannel, she forced a smile to her face and headed downstairs, leaving Chloe to mellow herself out with a little herbal assistance. As she went, she fished out the picture she'd taken first thing that morning, with Chloe photobombing her way into the shot. With a happy sigh, she tucked it away and resigned herself to enjoying the breakfast Joyce was making.