Let Sleeping Does Lie

On reflection, Chloe mused, Max's real superpower was being able to fall asleep at a moment's notice.

It was almost impressive, really, how quickly she could do it . They had been munching on popcorn, snuggled under a blanket in Max's dorm room, watching Blade Runner for the umpteenth time. Max had commented on how absurdly hot Tris was, which Chloe had enthusiastically agree with. The next moment, she had yawned. The moment after that, she was out cold on Chloe's shoulder, snoring gently.

Of course, Chloe didn't mind. After all, a sleeping Max Caulfield was both utterly adorable, and also couldn't protest if Chloe wanted to stare lovingly at her, which she always got embarrassed about if she was awake - particularly if they were in public. Chloe liked to tease her about it, and Max always protested, but they both knew Max was only putting on a show. In reality, she lavished in Chloe's attention, even if it was mostly a private thing.

Chloe looked down at Max's sleeping face, and couldn't help but smile. Max really was the most adorable dork she'd ever known, even when her mouth was slightly open, and drool was collecting in the corner, threatening to run down her cheek. Chloe let her eyes drift upwards to the nose, which, as far as she was concerned, was cute as a button. And the freckles - oh god, the freckles - Chloe had gotten lost so many times trying to count them. Not that she could ever be that close to Max for so long without kissing her.

Her reverie for Max was derailed ever so slightly when she saw a strand of hair had become caught on Max's eyelashes. Gingerly, Chloe moved it, taking care not to wake the sleeping hipster. But she need not have worried, as Max only hummed contentedly, and buried herself further into Chloe's shoulder.

Chloe's heart almost exploded.

How dare you be so friggin' cute. She thought.

An idea formed in her head. After all these years, and Max being so effortlessly adorable, a small amount of payback wouldn't make her the worst person in the world, would it?

Out came the washable marker pen, and a phone camera set to selfie mode.

The next day, after Chloe had left the dorms, she waited until she knew Max would be in class. Then, she posted the photo, snickering to herself the entire time.

An hour later, she received a text from Max. It consisted of one word, all in caps.

CHLOE.

Chloe burst into peals of laughter. Max was most likely mad, but it was totally worth it. She opened up Facebook, and navigated to Max's page. There, on Max's timeline - with a few dozen likes and several comments - was a photo of Chloe giving an enthusiastic thumbs up, right next to a completely unconscious Max, upon whose forehead was written "I 3 Chloe Price".

Chloe put away her phone, still laughing.

Definitely worth it.

The worst part about studying, Max decided, was the sheer monotony of it. No matter how many pop quizzes she gave herself, or how many colourful Post-it notes she wrote, it was always boring as heck.

She stared at her textbook, wishing she could simply download the information into her head. But this wasn't The Matrix, so that solution remained impossible.

Max shook her head violently, trying to regain her concentration, and stave off the encroaching tentacles of exhaustion. She reached for her coffee mug, only to be filled with dismay when she saw it was empty. Reflexively, she opened her mouth to call out for Chloe, and ask for another cup. But then, she remembered Chloe was pulling a double shift at the Two Whales, and that she was alone.

At least Chloe's room made for a more comfortable studying environment than her dorm room, which she had always found actually made studying harder. Maybe it was the academic environment, which always made Max feel slightly ill-at-ease, like the mere act of trying to study on-campus came with a certain kind of pressure to succeed. Either way, studying at Chloe's place made for a far more relaxing environment.

Maybe a little too relaxing.

After re-reading the same paragraph for a fourth time in a row, Max grumbled, and rested her head on her forearms. Maybe just shutting her eyes for five minutes and letting her mind wander would give her the reset she needed.

Within two minutes, she was fast asleep.

An hour and a half later, Chloe returned, and by some miracle, didn't wake Max up with her usual stomping up the stairs.

When she saw Max slumped over her desk, snoring loudly, Chloe chuckled to herself, and shook her head. This was the third time this week Max had passed out while forcing herself to study. In a way, it was admirable. Max had always had more drive than her, at least when it came to academic aspirations, something Chloe's mother- or Rachel - never failed to point out. She supposed they were probably right, but Blackwell had never been for her, and she was doing just fine working at the Two Whales. Besides, you didn't need any fancy degrees to be a tattoo artist, just skill, which Chloe had plenty of.

She picked up a blanket, and gently laid it over Max's shoulders. Max murmured a little, but didn't wake.

Chloe smiled.

Definitely a nap-based superpower. She thought.

Some hours later, Max jerked awake, and almost yelped in surprise when her textbook - which had magically relocated itself from the desktop to on top of her head - along with her pen, a stack of Post-it's, and her notepad, all fell to the floor.

Max looked down at the pile of items, puzzled. Then, when she saw Chloe sprawled out on the bed, the answer became clear.

I'm gonna get you back for that, she thought, while clambering into the bed and adopting the big spoon position behind Chloe.

… But maybe later. She continued.

"You're lucky I'm too tired for revenge." Max whispered

Chloe, who had been awake the entire time, grinned to herself.

"Dude." Rachel said. "Your girlfriend is some kind of sleep ninja."

The blonde nodded at Max, who was currently conked out on the couch, seemingly without a care in the world.

"Yeah." Chloe nodded. "It's a talent of hers. You get used to it."

"I don't doubt that, just, how does she do it?" Rachel mused.

Chloe shrugged. "She's always been like that."

"Yeah but…" Rachel gestured around them. "Here, of all places?"

Chloe paused to assess their location. "You might actually have a point about that."

Rachel crossed her arms. "You think?" She yelled over the music.

Chloe, for once, had no response. Rachel was right, as falling asleep literally in the middle of a loud, excessive party was impressive, even for Max's standards.

"Seriously though." Rachel continued. "I wish I could do that. I'm like, the lightest sleeper on Earth. A fly could fart in Utah or some shit and bam, I'd be awake!"

Chloe laughed, and drained the rest of her beer, staring regretfully into the bottom of the now-empty plastic cup.

"I'm gonna get another drink." She indicated a table filled to capacity with different types of alcohol. "You want one?"

Rachel shook her head. "Nah. I don't like getting drunk at parties. Too many creeps around."

Chloe shrugged. "Suit yourself."

She wandered over to the drinks table, selected a mid-strength IPA, and poured it into another red plastic cup.

"Good thing I never fly solo at these things." Chloe joked to herself.

She paused. "Wow. Thank god no one heard that."

Upon returning to Max and Rachel, she was surprised to find the blonde hovering over Max, almost possessively.

Chloe frowned. "What's going on?" She asked.

Rachel flipped her hair. "Some drunken assholes tried drawing on her." She explained.

"What?" Chloe fumed. "Did they manage to?"

"Nah." Rachel shook her head. "I told them I'd kick their asses if they did."

"You totally could, too." Chloe said.

Rachel flashed her a smile. "It helps when your daddy is the DA."

"Straight up." Chloe said.

Rachel's smile grew wider. "Also, I stole their marker." She said, twirling it between her fingers. "Wanna put it to good use?"

Chloe matched her smile. "Do I ever?"

A couple of minutes later, the two of them were admiring their handiwork, not without a certain amount of pride.

Pinned to the couch, directly above Max's head, a sign now read "Quiet Please, Nap In Progress." In large, bold letters.

"We're good friends." Rachel said.

"Hella." Chloe replied.

And Max slumbered on, somehow, in utterly blissful ignorance.