~Roses are Red
My hair is too
Right now it's Pink
Cuz I think I like you~

---

Skye was calling it a lazy day.

She'd made herself busy as of late, in an attempt to stay out of trouble. She'd picked up a few classes to better herself, some self defense related classes, some English and writing related ones to follow her pursuit into journalism. The good news was that it was keeping her out of trouble, but the bad news was, it was tiring her out. Between that and keeping up some semblance of a social life--especially hanging out with Mari--she found herself stretched thin.

What didn't help was those...feelings. She found herself in a weird emotional place since that night Mari's uncle had brought them home from that party. She still somewhat felt bad about that night, though she'd been in trouble before, numerous times. This time was...different. She hated that she got her friend in trouble. And on top of that...she felt like...she wanted more. Not just sex, no. To Skye, sex was something casual. What Skye wanted...was an actual relationship; it scared her to death, but that same night they'd gotten in trouble, Mari had given her some damn good advice. Maybe she should just talk to her...But that could wait for another day.

Today, she as just going to unwind.

As it stood, she was lying on her bed, in her room, wearing nothing but a purple bra and underwear, glad that she'd had the wherewithal to pack her video-games. She lay on her stomach, looking at the TV as she lost herself in one of her favorite video-games: The Sundered Plane V: Lorania.

Her fingers expertly moved over the buttons as her hair turned a content indigo; she found her hair turning that color more often, the flickering light on her hands looking rather entrancing against the clear controller(she got the clear ones for that very reason). She didn't know what time it was, or how long she'd been playing, but she really didn't care. This, was about as relaxed as she could get, lately.

Rehearsals had begun. I was the chance of a lifetime, giving Mari the chance to be the lead in an off-Broadway show. In many ways, this was everything she had worked toward at school. If things went well, even greater opportunities could open to her.

Of course, her mother was not pleased to hear about her daughter’s plans to skip a year of school. Mari had just turned eighteen, but she did not want to leverage that against her mother. In the end, they came to a begrudging agreement; Mari would take a remote class each semester she was performing, arranging it with the school to keep her as an active student, albeit part time.

Mari was happy to have her mother’s blessing, but rehearsal and schoolwork were a painful one-two punch. The young actress found herself stretched thin, with barely any time to herself. The show itself was dancing-heavy as well, so she was returning to her place and passing out in exhaustion right away. She always knew acting would be hard work, but this was a new gear she had to learn to master.

Even still, Mari made an effort to see Skye when she could find the time. She hated having to pencil in her friend. Her… Skye. What was going on with them? Mari was noticing it more and more since the party. When she looked at Skye, her stomach fluttered. It was much like the way she felt about Celeste. That feeling of wanting… something.

How long could she ignore this? Not long; when she was not with Skye, she wanted to be spending time with her. Even with her busy schedule, it gave her peace of mind to just be around Skye. It also tied her in knots.

Mari had enough time off for the night that she wanted to spend it the best way she knew how. Navigating the halls of the mansion carefully, giving mutant children a wide berth so her aura did not affect them.

Eventually, Mari made it to a familiar door and smiled, pushing open the door. ”Surprise! Rehearsal was can-celled…”

Stunned, Mari stood there for a full, eternal five seconds of staring at the undressed woman laying before her on a bed, controller in hand. Feeling her tan face turn crimson, Mari whipped around and covered her eyes for good measure. ”I’m so sorry. I had the night off and thought it’d be nice to hang out. I should have called.”

After awhile, Skye's focus was fading from the game, zoning back in on Marisol. She couldn't keep her....friend? off of her mind. She was a friend, most definitely, but deep down, the way Mari made her feel...it was different. Nice, even. And she wanted more, even though it scared her a little. Skye paused the game, taking the opportunity to level up, since that didn't take much thought or focus at all.

About that time...the door opened. "Surprise! Rehearsal was can-celled…"

Skye smiled as she looked over at Mari, her hair flashing pink as the light was pulsing from her hands, reflecting through the clear controller. "Oh, hey!" She said brightly as she sat up, and then....Mari was freaking out a little. What was--oh. Oh...Hair flashed to purple, matching her underwear in an instant as Skye's face turned just as red as Mari's as she realized what it was all about. She was practically naked and sitting up had given her a better view of--

Wait...why did she care so much? Usually, she didn't, but now it was a big deal? Taking a breath, Skye stood up and made her way to her dresser, taking an overly large red shirt and putting it on; it was one her Uncle had given her. They made great sleep shirts and he didn't wear tee shirts anyway. Besides, she liked having something that reminded her of him.

"It's okay now; I'm decent--ish. Well, I'm covered up," she said with a slightly nervous giggle as she sat back on her bed. "It really is nice to see you."

Mari was a different person in the theatre. That was her element, and that gave her confidence and the ability to roll with the punches. Much of her adolescence had been spent in dressing rooms with girls haphazardly removing clothing so they could get into their next costume before their next cue. Nothing about that was ever weird or out of place for her.

Standing in Skye’s doorway and seeing her in underthings was not Mari’s element. It was so unexpected, and it was Skye in (almost) all her glory. Those girls in the dressing room? Not Skye. They did not have the kind of power over Mari that Skye somehow had. She was turned around, but she could feel butterflies, which was definitely new.

>> ”It's okay now; I'm decent--ish. Well, I'm covered up. It really is nice to see you."[/color]

With the go-ahead given, Mari turned around to see Skye with violet hair wearing a long shirt. It was a cute look, and not in the “I can see the aesthetic appeal of this for someone who would be into that kind of thing.” Skye specifically was very cute to Mari in that outfit.

Her nervous giggling matched Skye’s as she stepped closer, her aura bleeding the color from Skye’s hair. She wished she could turn that off sometimes. ”It’s nice to see you too, as always.”

Mari set down a small duffel bag and unzipped it. She had a change of clothes at the bottom, as well as pajamas. From atop that, she took out a sealed container that was still warm to the touch. ”So I was thinking… since I have an actual night off and every muscle in my body is still aching, would you be interested in doing absolutely nothing with me?”

She unsealed the container, letting the smells of melty cheese, salsa, spiced meats, and guacamole escape. ”And by that, I mean video games, maybe a movie, and my uncle’s carne asada quesadillas.” She had stopped in for dinner and there were leftovers (as always,) so Mari planned accordingly. ”Maybe we can make a sleepover of it?”

Okay, the fluttering in her stomach needed to knock it off.

Skye was usually very open about her desires and what she wanted, but much like Mari, the mutant found herself out of her element. There were actual...feelings involved here, and what if she was reading it wrong? If Mari didn't feel the same way, then those feelings would be hurt and that...well, that would suck.

She smiled as her friend--actually, now that she thought about it, her closest friend--stepped closer and the color from her hair faded, as the lights were snuffed from her hands. She could almost feel her powers getting turned off, but it was probably just that she knew Mari was doing it by now. Though it was kind of interesting seeing her lights get shut off like that. Besides, when they were hanging out, it wasn't like she'd need her powers. Usually.

"Actually, after classes and the week I've had, doing nothing with you sounds amazing. Especially when you define it like that," she said with another smile as she pulled up another menu on her game, saving it and turning it off before picking up her collection of games and setting it next to Mari. "So I guess you can go through my games and pick one. And a sleepover actually sounds nice..."

She blushed a little, her heart missing a beat as she looked over at her. She really needed to stop being so nervous, but she did like the idea of spending this much time with her.


And this time they didn't have to worry about the cops showing up.

Video games were not a staple part of Mari’s childhood growing up. Money was never plentiful, though her mother worked to get Mari the things she wanted growing up. Video games were just not on her radar when she was young, so there were other things she thought might be more practical to ask for. This was not to say she had never played video games; she had some friends, and as with most in her generation, they were a popular pastime among her peers.

It did not matter that video games were not Mari’s “thing,” since Skye clearly enjoyed them. Mari felt an invested interest in familiarizing herself with something Skye liked. They were fun to play, and it was an activity they could play together. That made Mari happy.

Mari set down the container of quesadillas and picked up a triangle slice of one. She took a bite, the pull of cheese stretching until it finally snapped. While she munched on the snack, she looked at Skye’s collection of video games. She wanted something casual that a non-gamer could step into without much trouble. She picked up the case for Giuseppe Race Ultimate and held it up. ”A cart racing game could be fun, right? Something I could luck into kicking your butt in?” If she got really lucky, of course.

Slipping off her laceless flats, Mari climbed onto Skye’s bed to sit next to the girl. This was going to be fun! Girls had sleepovers all the time, sitting on beds together, sharing close proximity. Was the mansion warmer than usual? ”So your week’s been rough, too? Wanna tell me about it?”

Skye smiled, now somewhat glad that she was inside of Mari's field. For a couple of reasons actually; one of those being that her hair would have been a steady pink, and she was sure Mari was catching on to her color-code by now. The second reason was that being inside the adapted's aura meant that they were close, and she really liked that idea.

"I haven't played a racing game in quite some time, so you might actually stand a chance," she said with a slight giggle, flashing a wink over at the other girl. She fired up the console and handed the other girl the second controller. They were now side by side on the bed, feeling her stomach flutter a little at the proximity. Okay, she really needed to figure out how to make that stop...Though something told her that would be quite the feat, probably as much of a feat as controlling her lights when not in Mari's field.

"Well, I've recently taken up classes. I mean, I live in a freaking school so I might as well, right? I'm actually pursuing getting started on journalism, and I've decided to take up some more physical classes since I'm also training to be in the X-Men now," she said as she picked her character, a large dragon-esque being. Mari knew most of this already, but it felt good talking to her.

"So I signed up for this class on utilizing powers in combat...and I'd never been in a fight in my life," she said with another giggle. "I...well, I'm still somewhat sore from that one," she said, a rosy pink tinting her cheeks.

There were pajamas in Mari’s bag, but there was no rush to change into them. With the weather turning cooler, she had a cozy sweater over her top and denim shorts, which were comfortable enough for lounging around and playing games in.

Settling in beside Skye, Mari took her controller and ate another bite of her quesadilla before setting it down in the container to be nibbled on between races. ”I’d barely call this a racing game. If I’m remembering it right, it’s more crazy items and chance than a serious race.” To almost prove her point, she picked a cartoony princess in a yellow dress and crown and selected a motorcycle for her to ride on.

School was important; despite Mari’s recent decisions, she did believe that. This was particularly true for Skye’s dream job, which came up in one of their first real talks about life plans the day they met. It was bizarre to think of how far they had come since then. ”I hope I’ve mentioned how proud of you I am. Both for pursuing your journalistic dreams and your plans to join the X-Men.”

That last plan could have been a point of contention for other friends, but as dangerous as the X-Men life could be, Mari already had one person she loved in their ranks. She saw the team as a calling for people who wanted to do good, and she was happy Skye had aspirations like that.

It was not going to be easy, of course. Even the training was evidently quite the challenge, as Skye was learning. Mari chuckled as the race began and she lucked into a small boost to start the race. ”I guess we’re both feeling pretty beat up tonight. At least we can recover, as long as we don’t plan on doing any strenuous physical activity together tonight.”

Mari’s princess accidentally drove off the path of ice into frozen water, but Mari herself suddenly felt warm. As a turtle on a cloud towed her back to the road, she took the moment to slip out of her sweater, leaving her in her strappy tanktop.

"Well, you go around a track and you win if you get there first. It counts," she quipped back. "Besides, the regular racing games featuring real cars and actual skill are so....boring..." Just for gits and shiggles, Skye picked a tiny car for her massive dragon to drive.

Then they got to talking about life, and Skye found herself feeling quite comfortable. "You have, but I appreciate it," she said with a smile. "I knew it was going to be tough, but it's really gonna take a toll on me, I think, if this week is any indication." She wiped her brow as she turned back to the game.

Skye herself hadn't played in awhile and she was finding it hard getting off of the wall, but when Mari rolled off into some frozen water, she took the opportunity to get ahead. But not very far ahead, as Mari had shed her sweater and the mutant found herself looking, her face turning a beet red as Mari's comment about strenuous physical activity sunk in and she peeked back towards the screen.

"I...I'm really glad I've got your support in this, Mari. It really means a lot to me," she said sincerely.

As silly as the racing game could be, the items provided a fun factor Mari really enjoyed. With her fall, she was behind in the standings. In a normal racing game, that was probably a death sentence, but as she had learned, a game like this gave the losing racers better items. She just needed to find an item box.

She also needed to keep her mind on appropriate ideas. She had side-tracked herself with poor word choices, and the last thing she should be doing in Skye’s bed was daydreaming about… well, other things she could be doing in Skye’s bed.

”Of course I’m going to be supportive, Skye,” she assured her friend. ”The X-Men do good things for people and help keep people safe. I should know; my Tío is part of the team, after all.” He was all about saving and protecting people, even if that meant putting the fear of God into two young girls at a house party.

Mari’s princess drove through a shiny box and items scrolled through her options until it settled on a large bullet with cartoon eyes and arms. Hitting the item button, Mari watched her character turn into a massive bullet that flew across the road at a high speed, knocking a few other racers she passed through. Wow, that was satisfying. ”Besides, I know they won’t let you out into the field unless they’re confident you can stay safe. Plus, you know I’ll kick your butt if you get yourself hurt out there, so obviously, you’re not going to do that, right?”

Sure, she was worried about what could happen to Skye, but she was not going to keep her friend from doing great things because she worried about her. People were friends with police and fire fighters, and they had to accept their friends’ bravery came with risks. This was the same, and Mari wanted to support Skye.

Skye was realizing quickly that the physics in this game were actually pretty well done. As it turned out, the massive frame of her character, and the low horsepower of the cart she'd chosen didn't go well together, as the small car was literally struggling to carry the huge figure of the dragon. On top of that, Skye's thoughts weren't aiding her to victory at all. She knew very well what these feelings she'd been dealing with were, and while she loved the idea of Mari spending the night like this, she also knew that dealing with them wouldn't be easy.

In fact it was reason number three that Skye was thankful for Mari's powers. The last thing Skye needed was for this to be accompanied by a light-show and possibly an explosion. "Yeah; I really feel like I can accomplish something here. Once I finish my training, and classes, I think combining that with being a journalist will be a positive undertaking," she said as she found herself knocked off of a narrow path and into the abyss below.

Skye knew it was dangerous, and she knew Mari likely worried about her, but she'd already completed her first mission, and while it wasn't easy, she knew this was what she wanted to do. "I'll be safe, I promise," she said sincerely as she looked over at her friend. Her...Mari.

In the time it took her cart to reset, Skye took a deep breath, her heart racing like someone had put their shoes in the washing machine. But instead of saying what was on her mind, she wimped out.

"So what about you? Anything you needed to get off your chest this week?" She asked. "I mean, you've heard about mine so it's only fair, right?"

Mari still remembered the woman she met on a subway train who was uncertain of her life and the direction she wanted to take it. It was comforting to see how far Skye had come along in that time. Her friend was more focused on succeeding at school so she could pursue a field she was excited in, and outside of classes, she was looking to put her powers to commendable use. Skye had grown a lot over the course of their friendship, and Mari was overwhelmingly proud of her.

She also wanted Skye to keep herself safe. The mutant had a knack for brash decision making, and Mari would be inconsolable if anything happened to Skye out on a mission. She knew there was a risk and Skye could not control everything, but Mari still appreciated the sincerity of her promise. ”Good. Thank you,” she replied, equally sincere.

Mari had made it to fourth place off the back of her bullet powerup, and she was focusing on avoiding obstacles in a cave of ice and pillars. She bumped off a pillar, losing some speed, when Skye asked if she had anything to get off her chest. Did she? Nah. Besides being all but sure Skye was the second person in Mari’s life she felt romantic feelings of longing for, Mari had nothing important to bring up.

She almost pushed the words out, but there was something blocking them. Fear. Anxiety. She balked. ”I guess I have been working so hard in rehearsals, I haven’t had much time for thinking or reflecting on how things have been going. The casting team took a risk on me as young, unproven talent, so I’ve got this chip on my shoulder.”

Her character picked up three green turtle shells that started circling her character, protecting her until she shot them. ”This level is more intense than I’m used to, and I guess I’m worried if I don’t bring everything every night, I’m going to fail.” After years of success in school, this fear of failure was hitting Mari like a brick to the head. She did not know how to talk about it with her performing friends, but she felt safe confiding in Skye.

Skye smiled over at Mari as she responded to her promise. "You're welcome," she said softly, turning her attention to the game. She'd gotten bumped to third place, and wasn't really focusing on Mari's side of the screen. Her character's handling was terrible, and this cave full of pillars was exposing that for the world to see. 

The girl listened as her friend's turtle-surrounded car bumped into hers, knocking it out of place as she found herself struggling to get back to where she needed to be. 

"You'll get there, don't worry," Skye said with a smile. "Let's just unwind. Forget about all of that **** we have going on. Let's just...relax, you know? Have fun. Like a couple of teenage girls," she gave a giggle, her dragon-piloted-clowncar not getting very far at all. 

The race continued, and Skye found herself....quiet. She had a lot she wanted to say, but...didn't know how to say it. These feelings were really getting to her, but she had to say something about it. But she was afraid. And fighting these feelings, her focus had obviously shifted from the game to her thoughts, as noted when she came in sixth place. 

The screen showing everyone's standings flashed, and Skye took the moment to look over at Mari, once again thankful for Mari's aura. Otherwise the room would look like a rave from hell right now.  "You got this. And if you need anything, I'm here for you. Even if all I can do is help you forget with video-games." She bit her lip, sighing a bit as she looked away for a second, her face tinting a bright pink.

Mari’s cart passed close to another racer, her shells hitting them as they passed, sending them up into the air. Skye’s reaction made it obvious who Mari hit. She chuckled, mumbling, ”Sorry,” as karma caught up to her and a small mushroom man with invincibility drove through her, forcing her into a tumble of her own.

It really was nice to play a simple game and not think about the stresses of life for a night. Mari was thankful to Skye for making that possible. The only problem was the peaceful quiet left her thinking too much about Skye.

By the end of the race, Mari had managed a fourth place finish, meaning neither girl had placed. ”Yeesh, we must be rusty.” Or distracted.

Mari met Skye’s eyes, getting caught in them. She would have zoned out completely if Skye was not being the sweet, supportive person Mari needed in her life. She placed a hand on Skye’s knee and nodded. ”You being in my life is everything I could need, Skye.” She smiled.

And her hand lingered on Skye’s knee for a few seconds until that proximity hit Mari. ”I should… change into pajamas.” Slowly, almost reluctantly, Mari got up from the bed and gathered clothes from her bag.

She was still close to Skye; close enough to keep the mutant in her aura. She looked at the clothes, considering a trip to the bathroom, but that felt unnecessary. ”Alright, changing,” she advised, trying not to sound nervous. She pulled her shirt over her head and tugged her shorts past her hips. For a few moments, she was just standing there, facing away from Skye, in lavender underwear. She could feel heat on her skin like her full body was blushing.

As she pulled a sleep shirt on, she needed to fill the silence. ”D-did you have some of the quesadilla yet? My tío will probably see it as an insult if you leave it untouched.”

"All's fair in love and kart racing," Skye quipped. "Yeah...we do suck, don't we? Though I've been playing more RPGs lately. Mostly The Sundered Plane series, or rarely, Outerlands," she added as her voice trailed off with her thoughts. She'd felt feelings like this not too long back for someone, and they'd attempted a relationship. They had a few things in common, the sex was good, and they'd had a few dates but...it just didn't work. It ended amicably, but she hadn't spoken to Allyssa since. What if she did take the plunge with Mari? What if it didn't work? She couldn't cope with losing Mari as a friend...

Skye heard Mari say something, but her brain didn't process what was actually said, so when Skye turned around, all she could see was Mari's lavender-clad ass. Hocrap Mari was in her undies...right there beside her.

Her face flushed a deep red as she could felt her skin radiating heat. She couldn't look away, though she knew it would be courteous, and the right, not-awkward thing to do. She bit her lip as she felt sweat rolling down her face, finally managing to look back the way she was facing.

Looking back at her now-clothed friend, Skye flashed a nervous smile, silently reaching for one of the quesadillas and taking a bite. She didn't know what to say; usually, she'd make a comment about what she saw, but Mari didn't take to flirting that way, and Skye respected her friend. But...she couldn't keep hiding behind this forever, could she?

"These are really good..." she said after a moment, smiling.