Work Text:
The storm rolled in fast, one minute Arcadia Bay had been gray and quiet, the next the sky cracked open with thunder that rattled the windows of their apartment. Rain slammed against the glass in heavy sheets, wind howling throughout the streets. Max had meant to stay in bigspace . Really she did...Rachel and Chloe had only gone out for a quick grocery run. 'twenty minutes, tops', Chloe had promised, keys already in hand while Rachel grabbed reusable bags. Max had nodded, said she'd be fine, said she'd work on editing photos while they were gone. That had been before the first loud thunderclap.
Max sat curled up on the couch, wrapped in a blanket that was just a little too heavy for her in a comfortable way(hence why it’s originally called a weighted blanket). Her laptop sat abandoned on the coffee table, screen dimming from inactivity. Another crack of thunder, and lightning flashing outside the windows, Max had flinched hard, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders. There was a bag at the door mostly likely from a tree branch but Max wasn’t thinking logically at the moment.
"...Chlo?" she whispered.
No answer of course since Chloe and Rachel ain’t even home yet, as the rain pounded harder.
Max's breathing hitched getting scared of the storm by the second. She slid off the couch and padded towards the window, peeking out just enough to see the world blurred by rain. Lightning flashed, bright and sudden, followed by another booming rumble that made her squeak and stumble back.
She hurried back to the couch, climbing up and burrowing into the blankets. Her fingers found the sleeve of her hoodie, clutching it tightly, rubbing the fabric between her fingers in a small, repetitive motion.
Rachel had shown her that once.
"Grounding," Rachel had called it.
Right now, it just helped her feel a tiny bit less shaky, Max reached for her phone with clumsy hands as she turned it on and tapped a few times before She tapped Chloe's contact, holding the phone to her ear. It rang. And rang…..And went to voicemail.
"T-they not pickin' up..."
Another thunderclap made her whimper, curling tighter into herself. She tried Rachel next, And unfortunately the same thing happened once more. The storm must've messed with the signal.
And just as suddenly the lights flickered. Which made Max freeze in her spot for only one horrible second, she thought they might go out completely.
"They can't go out," she said quickly, like she could convince the lights to stay on “No no no..."
The lights steadied again, but Max was already overwhelmed. She slid off the couch once more and hurried, quick steps down the hallway to her shared bedroom. The space felt safer somehow, smaller, more familiar.
She climbed onto the bed and immediately burrowed under the covers, pulling them up over her head until the world was dim and muffled. The storm still rumbled, but it was quieter now, Max curled into a tight little ball, clutching a pillow close to her chest.
"...Rach," she whispered. "Chlo..."
Time stretched, it could've been more than ten minutes. It could've been an hour, Max drifted in and out of , anxious thoughts, every loud thunderclap making her flinch under the covers.
Until……..The front door slammed open.
"Max?!"
There it was. Chloe's voice calling out , loud and urgent. From the bedroom Max's head popped up from under the blanket instantly.
"Chlo?"
"Max! We're back-hey, where are you?"
Rachel's voice followed, calmer but just as concerned.
“Check the bedroom-"
Max scrambled out of the covers and stumbled toward the doorway just as Chloe appeared in the hall, soaked from the rain, hair damp and sticking to her face.
"Max-“
Max launched herself forward towards Chloe, whom caught her immediately, arms wrapping tight around her as Max buried her face in Chloe's shoulder.
"You left" Max cried, voice small and breaking. "S'too loud storm”
"Hey, hey, I've got you” Chloe murmured, rocking her gently. "We're here. We're here now."
Rachel appeared beside them, already shrugging off her wet jacket. She reached out, brushing Max's hair back with careful fingers.
"Oh, sweetheart," Rachel said softly. "The storm got scary, didn't it?"
Max nodded into Chloe's shoulder, gripping her shirt tightly.
"Mm-hm..."
Rachel stepped closer, wrapping an arm around both of them.
"You did so good waiting for us," she said. "We came as fast as we could."
Chloe pressed a kiss to Max's temple. "Store line was hell, and then the rain-Doesn't matter. We're home now."
Another rumble of thunder echoed outside.
Max flinched.
Chloe immediately tightened her hold. "It's okay. Just noise."
Rachel guided them back toward the bedroom. "Let's get cozy, okay? Blankets, maybe a movie, something soft."
Max clung to Chloe as they settled back onto the bed. Rachel piled blankets around them, creating a warm little nest. Chloe sat with Max in her lap, gently rocking her while Rachel tucked everything in around them.
"Want your headphones?" Rachel asked softly.
Max had nodded softly, as Rachel retrieved them, placing them gently over Max's ears and putting on soft music something calm, steady, grounding, Max's breathing slowly evened out. Chloe kept one hand on her back, rubbing slow circles.
“You're okay, Super Max."
Rachel brushed her fingers through Max's hair. "Storm's just outside. It can't get you in here."
Max sniffled, then nodded, curling deeper into Chloe's chest while Rachel leaned in close on the other side.