Warning: Inaccruate description of a panic attack.

Disclaimer: I do not own Life is Strange or its characters.

With a sigh, Max placed her head in her hands and considered just going to bed. The essay was only due tomorrow and she only had one...more...paragraph…

A knock made Max jerk awake from where she had fallen asleep on her desk and laptop. She groaned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

Another knock, this one a little louder, making Max groan again, She got up and opened the door.

"It's too early for dorm inspections," Max leaned against her door.

"Why? Got something you aren't supposed to, Super Max?"

The smaller girl blinked a few times before squinting. Her vision cleared enough to reveal a sly-looking Chloe in her pajamas.

"What are you doing here?" Max asked, but otherwise moved aside so her girlfriend could come inside. "It's...I lost track of time on paragraph three."

"Couldn't sleep," Chloe shrugged, taking her shoes off and making herself at home on Max's bed. "Wondered if you were awake and drove down here."

Even half asleep, Max could tell there was something more to it. But she also knew if she pushed, Chloe would just close herself off. Her girlfriend will open up when she was ready.

"You're welcome to the bed while I finish this dumb essay," The smaller girl yawned as she plopped down on the desk chair, groaning at the lines of button mashing her face must have done. "Are you cereal?"

"You're wasting precious sleep time for an essay?" Chloe proped an elbow on the pillow.

"It's due tomorrow and I'm almost done."

"Is this why you always look hella tired? Up until the wee hours doing homework?"

"No," Max glanced over her shoulder with a smirk. "Sometimes I break into my school with my girlfriend and swim in the pool."

The smaller girl won't admit it out loud, but if she falls asleep exhausted, she won't have any nightmares. Sure, she gets less sleep then probably healthy, but it's better than reliving those memories.

Chloe laughed. "You can do your essay in the morning. Come cuddle me."

"Just two more sentences," Max yawned. "Go to sleep, I'll join you when I finish."

There was a brief moment of silence except for the slow tapping of keys.

"What day is your essay due?"

"Uh, Thursday."

Chloe gave a thoughtful frown. "What's today?"

Humoring her, Max looked to the bottom corner of the laptop. Reading the displayed time and date.

"It's...Tuesday."

The two girls were silent until Max saved her essay and slammed her laptop shut. She stood up from her desk and dived into Chloe's open arms.

"Wake me up when it's Friday," The smaller girl mumbled before hiding her face in the taller girl's neck.

"You look like you could sleep until then," Chloe chuckled, running her fingers through Max's brown hair.

She waited for a witty response and instead got quiet even breaths. Max had fallen asleep.

The taller girl sighed and pulled the smaller girl closer, if that was even possible. Burying her face into her girlfriend's hair. Max was here, she was safe in Chloe's arms.

The nightmare from earlier replayed in her head. That Max would be taken away from her like Rachel.

That one day her powers might cause more damage than a nosebleed. Maybe Mark Jefferson will get out of jail and kidnap Max, like in that other timeline.

Chloe remembered not letting Max out of her sight after Future-Max told her about the Dark Room timeline. Afraid that Jefferson would come steal her away.

Movement snapped Chloe out of her thoughts, she looked down as Max shifted in her sleep. The smaller girl seemed to be in some kind of restless dream before her head rested on Chloe's chest, right where her heart was. Max settled down in her new spot, a sleepy smile on her face.

Chloe smiled, her girlfriend was so cute, even when she slept. She adjusted her arms to compensate for Max's movement.

As long as Max was in her arms. Chloe can protect her from everything.

With that reassuring thought, the taller girl closed her eyes. Soon falling asleep with her partner.

Max curled up against the top corner of her bed, her back to the wall.

Thunder rumbled outside her dorm window, she whimpered at the noise. Hiding her face in her knees and covered her ears with her hands, attempting to block out the noise of the storm.

Another rumble, another whimper.

"I didn't cause it this time, I promise. I promiseIpromiseIpromise."

Tears streamed down her face.

Violent winds slammed against her.

"I didn't rewind this week. I promise. I didn't. Ididn'tIdidn'tIdidn't."

The rain fell on her like it was angry at what she had done.

Max trembled as she relived everything.

"As long as you're my partner in time."

Chloe.

The photographer uncurled and scrambled for her phone. In her haste she accidentally yanked the charger out of the wall, but she didn't care at the moment.

Her fingers shook as she searched for Chloe's contact, which didn't take long. She clicked the call icon and pressed it firmly to her ear.

Riing.

Riiiing.

Riiiiiing.

Rii-

"Whoeva this is better have a hella good reason for calling this early."

"Chloe?" There was a clap of thunder and the smaller girl whimpered, curling back into herself.

"Max?" There was shuffling from the taller girl's side. "What's up? It's, like, three in the morning."

"I...just need to hear your voice," Max rested her forehead against the wall, messy hair falling into her face.

"Are you okay? Was it another nightmare?"

"Kind of...can you just talk to me? Until I fall asleep?"

Another clap of thunder, this time accompanied by a flash of lightning. Max muffled a sob with her arm, fresh tears leaking out of her bloodshot eyes.

"I'll do you one better, Super Max," There was more muffled shuffling on the other side. "I'll be there in ten minutes. Do you want me to stay on the phone?"

"What?" The smaller girl's brain wasn't catching up with what her girlfriend was saying.

"I'm coming over," Chloe said with the sound of a car door slamming shut. "We'll have a hella cuddly sleep over."

"...okay," Max flinched at the storm's constant rumbling. "Be careful the-this storm looks bad."

"You ruined my shot!"

Her chest felt suffocating and her limbs numb.

Like...in the Dark Room.

Lightning flashed-there was a clicking noise as she came to, Jefferson's camera in her face-

She couldn't breath, she was back in the Dark Room she couldn't move her arms were duct taped together.

"Max!"

Max took a loud, deep breath. Eyes snapped around the room, looking for someone who was never there.

"Maxine, you better answer me or I swear-"

"Max, never Maxine," The smaller girl mumbled as she put her phone back to her ear, having dropped it onto her bed when she…

Chloe released a relieved breath. "Lost you there for a second. Listen, I'm in the parking lot so Imma hang up, but I'll be there soon. Okay?"

"Okay," Max whispered before the call ended. She dropped the phone onto her bed and hugged her legs to her chest, leaning her shoulder against the wall.

It's times like this that Max briefly thought if she could forward time. So it didn't seem like things took forever.

There was a soft click as her door was quickly opened and then closed.

The bed dipped and warm arms wrapped around her. Chloe pulled the smaller girl into her lap, engulfing her with her taller body.

"Hey," Chloe whispered into her sweaty locks.

"Hey," Max replied in the same tone, her hands gripping the other girl's shirt. She placed her ear against Chloe's chest, sighing when she heard her heartbeat.

"Better?"

"A little."

Chloe sighed, slowly running her fingers through Max's hair. It normally helped the smaller girl calm down and relax. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"I...I woke up from a nightmare, about...the Dark Room. And the storm was happening," Max hid her face in her girlfriend's shoulder. "I thought it was the storm…"

"How can I help? What do you need me to do to make you feel better?"

"Just you being here. Holding me. Helps."

"Okay," The taller girl nodded. "Let's adjust a bit."

Chloe laid down on her back on the bed and pulled Max down. She arranged the smaller girl so she was on top of her. Chloe kept her arms securely around Max.

The brown-haired girl sighed, her entire posture relaxing and her eyes drooping.

"I always feel safe when you hold me like this," Max sighed, snuggling closer to her new teddy bear.

"Good," Chloe started running her fingers through the smaller girl's hair. "I won't let anything happen to you."

The soothing darkness of sleep was claiming Max. "I know…"