Work Text:
10.10.13
THURSDAY NIGHT
END OF THE WORLD PARTY
“More than just a party.”
Max crumpled the poster in her grasp, too daunting to view repeatedly as it was plastered all throughout the gymnasium. It only reminded Max of her failure to fix what she started.
Never mind the blinding lights that messed with her vision, or the booming of the speakers that played tunes Max wasn’t familiar with.
Dancing bodies were scattered about, all too focused on themselves to notice what was right under their noses.
It might’ve been a night of celebration for the students of Blackwell, but it was only a nightmare for Max Caulfield.
And not a single person there would even hear her out.
“Max, you good? Your face looks so—”
“Tense, I know,” Max said while gritting her teeth. “I’m fine.”
Great. That was the fifth person tonight to point out how miserable Max looked. If only one of them could take a hint.
“Relax a bit, would ya? Tonight’s supposed to be fun… ‘n you’re all…”
Max couldn’t even begin to decipher his facial expression as he attempted to illustrate Max’s stress. “I have somewhere I need to be.”
“Woah, no need t’ get so snappy. Was it somethin’ I said?”
Max glared at the drunken man before walking away. Luckily, the music drowned out his loud attempts to get her attention.
She wished everyone would just fuck off if they weren’t going to be any help.
No matter what, she just couldn’t catch a break.
Granted—she already knew this with the endless week she had been stuck in. But she was hoping that things might go her way—for once.
That hope had shrunk to practically nothing since the universe seemed to never be on her side.
It didn’t help that she couldn’t find Chloe. Not that she wanted to face her yet since it had only been a few hours since they found Rachel’s body.
Max had already known what they would find after the first time.
But it didn’t make uncovering her remains any easier, no matter how many times that scenario repeated. No one should have to relive hearing their best friend’s piercing yells over and over and over—all while not being able to do anything to help.
Yet that was the fate Max had been given.
What was the point of all this if each new chance just led to a worse calamity than the last?
Max’s head pounded at her inner voice that spoke down on her.
She leaned against the brick wall and shut her eyes, peeks of colour from above passing through her heavy lids in sync with the music playing.
There were so many things that Max thought she wanted.
She wanted to be a hero. She was given the power to change a horrible fate for the better, yet it had done nothing but confuse her on whether there was actually a hopeful ending awaiting her.
She wanted to make those around her happy, or at least a lot less miserable. If she fucked up even the tiniest bit, she could go back and fix her mistakes without repercussions. Though even that seemed like an idealistic photo, where the blemishes would eventually peek through.
She wanted things to go back to normal. After using her powers constantly, she couldn’t help but feel that it was all she had now—that it made her who she was. She wished deep down that she was more than some sort of secret hero, but with her dark inner voice slipping through as often as it did, she wasn’t so sure anymore.
Right now, at the same Vortex party she had sworn she would never go to, watching everyone having fun but her, she admitted defeat.
Max Caulfield just wanted to give in and let things go to shit.
If Arcadia Bay wanted to fall apart, then so be it.
She would just have to bear to witness when that time came, which was pretty soon—tomorrow, to be exact.
She hoped this minute of lax would extend beyond her powers. That was the least the universe owed her for giving her this curse cast as a blessing.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
Of course.
Max would’ve felt uneasy if she didn’t already know who the voice belonged to.
“Not now, Victoria.”
“Oh, please.”
The sound of heels clacking against the tiles grew louder and Max opened her eyes, seeing Victoria blocking her sight from the rest of the party.
Victoria narrowed her gaze. “You show up to a party that you’re not even invited to—”
“What? I’m literally on the list—”
“—just to hide in a corner and sulk the whole night? Are you seriously that lame?”
Max let out a dry laugh. “Guess I am.”
Victoria raised a brow, not expecting that answer. “Really? No retorts, no name-calling… nothing?”
“I don’t care anymore. Just go and enjoy your party already.”
Victoria almost looked concerned before turning to walk away.
Max sighed once she was alone and pulled out her phone.
Max: Where are you??
Max: You better not have found Nathan to deal with him on your own. You know how dangerous he is
Max: Call me ASAP
Max: Please…
This had never happened before.
She was always able to find Chloe at the end of the party.
So why were things different this time?
What did Max possibly fuck up this time around?
And… why were Max’s memories more distorted than before?
She didn’t know what had changed this time from the other versions, but she hoped it was good that things weren’t aligned like the other trials.
Her phone buzzed, and she was relieved to see who it was from.
Chloe: I’m not a complete moron. And no. I didn’t find him yet…
Chloe: but when I do I’m gonna kill that bastard
Max: Don’t be an idiot, you’ll get hurt if you take him on your own
Chloe: Don’t fucking care
Chloe: if something happens then just rewind
“Huh, why didn’t I think of that earlier?” Max mumbled to herself, tone dripping with sarcasm.
She rolled her eyes at the screen before shoving her phone back into her pocket. She wished that in the midst of all this, Chloe would be a bit more careful with the amount of shit they had come across in just a few days.
Honestly, she wished that Chloe even tried to be considerate of how all this rewinding was draining Max—physically and mentally.
“Some best friend…”
“Here.”
Startled, Max broke out of her daze to find Victoria holding two red cups, one of which was pushed towards Max.
Max frowned at the gesture. “What are you doing?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I got you a drink since you look like you desperately need one. This is a party, at least try not to stick out like a sore thumb.”
‘What game is she playing now?’
“I don’t know why you’re trying to act nice, but I’ll pass. And I’m fine.”
Victoria looked slightly taken aback. “Look. I may be a bitch, but I’m not stupid. You’re clearly going through some shit.”
“So what if I am?” Max took the offered cup in hopes that Victoria would finally take her leave.
She didn’t.
‘Maybe she’ll leave if I ignore her? Though, that’s never worked on before…’
While trying to avoid her icy stare, Max grew more annoyed as Victoria’s heels stayed put in front of her converse. Unmoving and unwilling to listen.
“Victoria,” she said harshly this time while revisiting her gaze. “Just leave me alone—”
“My God… Max.” Victoria looked at their surroundings before groaning. “Just come with me already!”
“What? Why would I—”
“And stop questioning everything I say!”
Victoria grabbed Max’s free hand and pulled her through the crowd of dancing people.
Max should have let go.
She knew she shouldn’t let Victoria, of all people, just drag her around like a dog on a leash. She should’ve just told her to fuck off so that she could continue her never-ending mission.
She should get back to Chloe and try to help her before Nathan gets to her first. She should try to fix the timeline to stop the storm from starting, even though she physically felt reality collapsing around her.
But that wasn’t what Max wanted.
Because this was… different.
The closest Max had come to connecting with Victoria was warning her about her supposed best friend, only for their relationship to return just seconds later.
This was different, and Max was curious about where this path would lead.
And so Max decided that if the world was gonna end anyway, she might as well be selfish for just one night.
“This is a one-time thing, got it? You’ll never step foot in here again after tonight,” Victoria ordered while slipping past the curtains to the VIP lounge.
Max let out a short laugh, relieved to see the old Victoria still alive and well. “Trust me, I don’t plan on it.”
“Right, like you didn’t try convincing Courtney to let you in earlier.”
Max raised her brow. “How do you know about that?”
“Even I don’t need to force her to talk, she does that all on her own.”
“That… I believe.”
Max looked down at her hand, which was still holding Victoria’s.
Victoria followed her gaze and quickly let go of Max once she realized it, though… Max questioned why she missed the warmth.
They sat down on an empty loveseat against the wall, a long coffee table in front of it with an array of abandoned drinks.
Her grip tightened around the cup she’d forgotten she was still holding. She looked down at the dark liquid that sloshed around inside.
“What… the hell is even in this?”
“Poison,” Victoria said flatly. She rolled her eyes when Max gave her a quizzical look. “What do you think?”
Max hesitated as she brought the cup closer to her face, the strong musk entering her nose all at once before she gave in and took a sip.
She surprised herself when she didn’t immediately make a face, though it still showed as the liquor sat on her tongue, making her furrow her brows. While the drink was still strong for her taste, it wasn’t unbearable. It left her throat and chest feeling warm, and the slight burn was more than welcome if it meant Max could distract herself.
“Not bad…” she said with a cough.
“It’s adorable that you can’t handle a little whiskey,” Victoria said, a faint smile appearing at Max’s poor attempt to hide her struggle.
“Shut up. I’ve only ever had red wine—once. Tried some, spat it out, and ruined my friend’s carpet by clumsily dropping it.”
“Poor kid.”
Max ignored Victoria’s jab and took another swig, the drink going down smoother this time as she felt the heat slowly creeping up on her.
She could feel Victoria’s gaze on her, and when she turned to the side, she locked eyes with her. Maybe the alcohol was working already, but Max could swear that Victoria’s eyes didn’t show a hint of mock or malice. Maybe it was—
“So,” Victoria started as she put her drink down. “What the fuck is Max Caulfield doing at a Vortex Club party?”
Max groaned, realizing that she couldn’t escape her questions. “Are you seriously still on that?”
“Yes, I’m curious. You’re the last person I’d expect here. You’ve made it clear how much you hate us, so I want to know what made you change your mind.”
“Well…”
Victoria rolled her eyes at Max’s hesitance to answer. “I don’t have all day, Max.”
Technically, she did. But that was only if Max shared her rewinding powers with Victoria, and she knew there was no chance of that ever happening.
“It’s… complicated.”
“You’re really pulling that on me?” Victoria moved in to lean her arm on the back of the cushion, and much closer to Max. “Look, I get that you have no reason to trust me—”
“That’s not why, Victoria.”
“So what’s the reason for all your weird behaviour recently?”
“I… can’t say much, but this week has been a lot for me.”
Max could see that Victoria clearly wasn’t satisfied with her answer.
“I shouldn’t even be—I just came here to find someone.”
“Oh,” Victoria murmured with slightly widened eyes.
“But they’re not here. And now the person I came with isn’t receptive, so…”
“So you’re just here all alone and questioning why you’re still here?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
Victoria let out a short laugh.
“Never thought that I’d relate to you, ever.”
“Don’t tell me you’re hating this too.”
Victoria didn’t say anything, just taking another swig of her now nearly empty cup.
“What… Victoria!” Max felt a rise in energy, and for the first time tonight, it wasn’t panic. “You realize you’ll probably end up winning the competition, right? I get that you keep an act up, but I thought you’d be a bit more excited to—”
“Jefferson hasn’t even announced the winners, weirdo. What’s there to be excited about?”
“Maybe the fact that you worked your ass off for it. You know I’m not one to throw you a compliment that I don’t actually mean.”
Victoria bit her lip before looking down at her drink, her expression hinting at discomfort that even Max wasn’t aware she’d have during this.
“Nothing to be proud of when all that hard work still doesn’t measure up to what you put out, even when it’s barely thought out. And before you say anything, that’s a compliment. God,” Victoria sighed as she leaned forward in her seat, “you don’t even need to put in effort to get a good shot.”
Silence filled the air at Victoria’s subtle confession—it was more than a surprise to them both.
Max considered relieving the tension by poking fun at her. But something about that moment of vulnerability from Victoria made Max hesitate.
“That… was actually kind of nice. Thank you.”
Victoria looked up to send her a death glare. “Don’t mention it, literally. I will destroy you—”
“But,” Max interrupted while disregarding her threat. “That’s not true at all. None of what I do comes as naturally as I’d like it to. Everything would be so much better if I just let go and had more faith in my choices. It would be so easy if I just stopped overthinking, but I—”
Max stopped herself.
Victoria’s head tilted with curiosity at Max’s own confession. “But what?”
“Nothing… just forget it.” Max ran a hand through her hair. “Must be the drink talking, I’m not making any sense.”
“Hold on, Max.” Victoria moved a bit closer. “Are we still just talking about the contest? Cause it sounds like…”
“Like…?”
“Like you’re opening up about something else.”
“Well, it helps that you’re not trying to bite my head off—at least for now.”
“Quit avoiding the subject.”
“I’m not avoiding anything.”
“Right, keep telling yourself that.”
Max felt her jaw tense. “Why are you so concerned anyway?”
“Excuse me?”
“You’ve never been interested in my life before, other than to berate me. And now you’re suddenly nose deep in my business—”
Victoria scoffed. “I’m sorry… did Max fucking Caulfield, the one who’s snuck into my room this week—”
“You snuck into mine too, hypocrite—”
“—seriously accusing me of being a snoop? Have you met yourself? You think because you’re all quiet that I can’t see right through you?”
Max was intrigued, deciding to test the waters since she wanted to know for herself. “And what exactly do you see, Victoria?”
Victoria furrowed her brows at the question. “Do you have a degradation kink or something?”
“Are you scared to answer my question?”
“Obviously not, I just know you won’t like my answer. And you could probably do without the ego beating just for tonight.”
“Seems pretty generous to consider my feelings,” Max said with interest. Until now, she had only ever seen Victoria as a girl who kept a hard exterior to push almost everyone out. To think about her even being a tad bit careful with her words made Max smile. “You have a soft side.”
Victoria’s cheeks started to look flushed.
“Don’t ever make that assumption about me,” Victoria said with offence. “I wouldn’t shy away from telling you exactly what’s on my mind. You don’t mean that much—”
Victoria caught herself and immediately retracted.
“Oh?” Max questioned.
“I mean… you have no fucking effect on me.”
Max decided not to ponder over her words. She finished her drink, savouring the taste and probably becoming too comfortable with the burning left in her throat.
“Shit.”
Max glanced over and noticed Victoria checking her phone with a worried look on her face.
“Everything okay?”
“Let’s get out of here.” Victoria downed her drink before slamming the cup on the table. “Apparently, they might be announcing the contest winner earlier than expected.”
Max gave her a questioning look while putting her own drink down. “Where are you dragging me now?”
“Where I take you can’t possibly be worse than the person you should be meeting, right?”
“Probably true, but we really should get back—”
“Besides,” Victoria interrupted a bit too quickly. Max noticed her eyes looking glazed over. “This place is getting too crowded for my liking.”
Max let out a laugh. “Well, it’s a Vortex Party… so that’s expected.”
Victoria raised her brows. “I… don't have a proper speech prepared either. And I don’t ever do anything half-assed—”
“Bullshit. You’ve been waiting for this ever since Jefferson first announced the contest. Do you seriously expect me to believe that you didn’t have anything planned?”
“You are so dense, my God.” She groaned while poking a finger into Max’s chest.
Victoria pulled Max closer by her sweater, which Max assumed was just due to the music.
But then Max felt a shiver as Victoria’s lips ghosted over the shell of her ear, quickly followed up by a racing in her chest when Victoria quite literally told her what she was insinuating.
“Oh.”
Max’s neck felt warm, and the room felt even hotter the longer she lingered on Victoria’s words.
‘Definitely not part of the plan, but…’
“It is getting pretty cramped in here, so…” Max cleared her throat. “Lead the way.”
Max’s back hit the closet door as her hands fumbled to grip the collar of smooth polyester.
“Just… ignore… it,” Victoria said between kisses. “Whoever that ‘s can wait.”
Max didn’t think that was the greatest idea, but then again, making out with Victoria Chase while tipsy also wasn’t her smartest move either.
Right as Max undid the second button of Victoria’s top, she heard the return of her ringtone.
“Great,” she muttered against Victoria’s lips.
Wanting to see who the hell was disturbing the one moment she had for herself, Max started pulling away from Victoria, earning a frustrating groan from her in return.
“Max. I swear if you don’t shut that thing off, I’m taking it.”
Max rolled her eyes. “It’ll only be a sec.”
“Well, maybe I don’t want to wait ‘a sec’. And since when do you boss me around—”
Max pressed one last fervent kiss to Victoria, hoping that would shut her up and break away from her need to complain about everything.
Fidgeting hands found the cause of the disturbance, and Max squinted at the sudden brightness in contrast to the dimly lit room. Her eyes widened at what appeared on her screen.
5 Missed Calls From Chloe Price
“Shit!”
Her thumb hit call and she pushed her cell close to her ear—half focused on dreading what Chloe would say to her and half focused on Victoria’s lips on her neck.
She gave Victoria a look that said “seriously?” and Victoria didn’t even bat an eye and only continued.
She hissed when she felt a kiss right on her pulse, growing louder with every second of this.
“Max!” Chloe said frustratedly on the other end. “Why the fuck didn’t you answer any of my calls?”
“Sorry… I was,” Max bit back a moan, “…busy.”
“Busy?” She heard Chloe click her tongue and murmur something that Max couldn’t fully decipher.
“Just tell that punk bitch to call you back later,” Victoria said without any fear of being heard by Chloe on the other end.
“Y-Yeah… busy with… stuff.”
“Are you fucking kidding… what could you possibly be busy with that’s more important than helping me find Nathan fucking Prescott?”
Victoria paused.
She slowly parted from Max—dazed green eyes glaring at surprised blue ones.
Max swallowed when she realized what Victoria had just heard.
“You’re looking for Nate.”
Max didn’t know if Victoria had meant for that to come off as more of a statement than a question.
“And that’s why you came with me, right? To see if I knew anything.”
Max opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
“Helloooo?” Chloe’s voice drew Max back into the conversation she was supposed to be having, yet she couldn’t focus on it in the slightest. “Quit fucking around—”
“I’ll meet you out in the front, ‘kay? Gotta go.”
“What? You’re so—don’t even think about hanging up on me—”
Max ended the call at once, letting out a sigh.
“Listen, Vic—”
“You played me well, Max.” Victoria stepped away from Max, though the tight space in the small room didn't give them much distance. “I’m… not gonna bother throwing you any half-baked insults this time. I seriously am not in the mood to even try.”
Fuck.
What could Max even say?
‘Sorry for lying to you this whole time, Tori. But if I didn’t distract you by kissing you, then you may have ended up dead, all because of your so-called best friend. I know this—because I tried it already, and you absolutely suck at conversing with me without any hostility. And since you wouldn’t believe me anyway I just went with the next best thing. Hope you’re not too mad.’
Even Max didn’t need to test that one out just to see how fucking awful of a plan it was.
“Victoria.” Max grabbed her hand before she could walk out of the room. “This wasn’t just some elaborate plan to get more intel, I swear. I wasn’t just—”
“I should get going,” Victoria said dryly while pulling her hand away. “I’ve already wasted enough time here.”
“Oh.”
The door opened as Victoria stepped out, though she didn’t leave like Max expected.
Victoria’s eyes wandered momentarily. “I’ll let you know when I win the competition. Might even post a damn selfie with the prize—since I know how much you love those.”
Max let out a small smile. Out of everything she experienced tonight, she was glad to see one thing still unchanged.
“I’ll look forward to it.”
Max furrowed her brows. “Why are you following me?” She asked while walking out of the gymnasium.
“Unlike you, I’m not a complete stalker.” Victoria left a considerable gap between them as she walked Max out of the building. “I’m just making sure you don’t show your face again.”
Victoria stopped in her tracks once they reached the front of the school. “What the hell…?”
Max followed Victoria’s gaze to find her staring up at the sky—specifically the double moon that definitely wasn’t there before.
“Pretty strange,” Max admitted while that fear slowly rose inside of her again. She pushed away the thought of this being caused by her.
“How is this even…” Victoria trailed off. “Never mind. This night is already weird enough for me.”
Victoria turned back to Max. “You’re officially kicked out of all Vortex Club events, and no amount of flirting with me or any other members will get you back in.”
“Damn, way to kill my Monday plans—”
“Get lost, Max.”
“Okay, okay.” Max held up her hands in defeat. “But I better see that post later tonight.”
“It’ll be hard to miss,” Victoria boasted with a promising look.
“You have so much explaining to do.”
Max forced a smile as Chloe found her, knowing she was about to get an earful for being late. “Anything you want to know, I’m an open book.”
Chloe clicked her tongue, not amused in the slightest. “For starters, you can tell me why the fuck you took so long—”
Chloe stopped herself, eyes widening as she fully took in Max.
Then they went cold.
“Real busy, huh?”
“What?” Max asked with concern.
It was then that Max realized that Chloe wasn’t just staring at her, but at what was on her.
“Shit,” Max cursed as she quickly pulled up her sweater to hide her marked collarbone, though it most likely didn’t conceal the ones on her neck.
Max turned back to where Victoria was—almost shocked that she had stayed put instead of returning inside, before giving her a death glare.
Victoria only gave her a flirty wave in return, looking more than satisfied before finally heading back inside.
Max let out a sigh before continuing where she left off—trying to be a hero, with maybe an ounce of her hope restored.