Sleepy
“Max.”
The girl in question felt a nudge at the base of her ribs, and struggled against the weight of consciousness. A song was stuck in her head, Chloe was still way too warm and surprisingly soft, and actually being awake and aware was not an option.
“Max - heh - c’mon, you’ve gotta get up.”
She blinked blearily, but snuggled into the warmth at her side a little more firmly.
“Nooooo…” She whined, holding Chloe’s tee and refusing to move.
Chloe, who chuckled.
“Max - okay, Max, really, we can’t just stay on the street-”
“Why nooooot?” Max murmured, sending her a pleading look - practically begging to just let her sleep. “C’mon, this is the best sleep I’ve had in months….”
Chloe was quiet, for a moment.
“...Alright. Okay, I’ll… I’ll think of something. But you have to tell me which room is yours at that college - Blackwell, right?”
Max nodded, and seized the opportunity. It didn’t make any sense, really, but who was she to think about something like that?
“Number 173, floor three.” She muttered. “Kate should be up front handing out pamphlets, you can ask her for directions. Now - sleepy time?”
“Sleepy time.” She heard the smile in Chloe’s voice.
She felt a hand tuck her a little closer, and she certainly wasn’t complaining about that.
“...Hey, Chloe?” She muttered, peeping up.
“What’s up, Max?”
“What about you?” Max shifted a bit so she could Chloe’s face better. “You believe in any of that stuff?”
Chloe raised an eyebrow at her.
“If I tell you, are you gonna fall asleep in the middle?”
Max felt heat touch her cheeks - but she could mostly ignore it.
“...No. No, I’ll… stay awake, if I can keep hearing your voice.” She finally said, pressing herself into Chloe’s side.
“Max, that’s…. actually really sweet.”
“I’m just a fountain of sweetness. Like those chocolate fountains at Golden Corral.” She said, still not really fully awake. If she’d been a little more conscious, she’d probably be red as a rose right about now.
And she’d probably never be cuddling with Chloe.
Thank God for sleepiness. Said some voice in the back of her head - and she couldn’t help but agree.
She heard Chloe snicker, and she’d sell her soul for that sound in a heartbeat.
“No, you’re a fountain of wittiness and quips. Your sweetness is just a perk.”
She hummed in contentment, not really listening.
“Anyway,” Chloe said, tucking one hand into Max’s jacket pocket. Or Rachel’s, she supposed.
“I was religious, when I was a kid. My Mom’s a Chrisitain. But then Dad died, so… yeah. Mom actually went really hard into the whole religion thing afterwards, but I kinda ditched it. Mom forced me to tag along for a little while - but then I hit my angsty phase and we had a fight about it. I said some… rude shit. I was a little shit back then.” She huffed out a little breath of amusement. “Still am.”
“No you aren’t.” Max said, instantly. “You’re one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.”
Her eyes were closed - so she couldn’t see Chloe’s very faint blush.
“...Thanks, Max.”
“It’s no trouble.” Max murmured back, snuggling up a little more. “Keep going?”
“Right. So - I kinda dropped the whole religion thing. Kinda thought that any god that did exist wouldn’t let Dad die. So he either didn’t exist - or didn’t give a shit about me, or Mom. And if he didn’t care about us, well. Why should I care about him?”
“Kate’d probably have a million things to say by now.” Max shifted a little more, and tried to stay awake.
“Well, I’m not snuggling with Kate. Or giving Kate my life story. So what does Max have to say?” Chloe said, and Max could hear a raised eyebrow in her voice.
Was that weird? It felt weird.
...Whatever.
“...Sorry about your dad.” Max murmured.
Chloe went silent, for a moment. Max felt her stiffen a little.
“It’s fine.” Chloe said, very dismissively. “He died a while ago.”
Max hesitated.
“Could you… tell me about him?”
Chloe paused.
And then, the tension in her unraveled, just like that.
“...He was really lax. About taking care of me. Mom was always the strict one - getting on my case about detention, and all. I was actually a pretty good student, before he died. But I got in my fair share of trouble. But he’d just wait until Mom was done preaching - and then we’d go on a drive. Get slushies. He really liked this crappy mall on the other side of town - they had the best slushies, Max. That blue raspberry stained my tongue for weeks, though.”
Max giggled into Chloe’s shirt. She felt Chloe chuckle with her.
“He’d sing these really dumb songs, too. Like - really crappy eighties shit. Put it on, full blast. Wake up the whole house at six A.M, and there he was. Making pancakes and singing along, with a shit-eating grin on his face.” Chloe snickered. “Bastard that he was.”
Max snaked an arm around Chloe, under the guise of pulling herself closer.
“...He sounds nice.”
Chloe didn’t answer for a moment.
“He was.”
“I wish I could’ve met him.” Max murmured, holding onto Chloe.
“...Me too. I think he would’ve liked you.”
“...I’m glad.”