Mari was finishing up putting her clothes when she finally started questioning her actions. She could have changed elsewhere, and she was in denial if she thought this was just like changing in the dressing rooms. She could feel goosebumps on her skin and heat in her cheeks. She could also swear she felt eyes on her.

That made her feel… well, it was hard to describe. Mari liked the idea that Skye might be sneaking a peek at her. It was thrilling and validating. She ventured to peek over her shoulder just enough to see Skye jus turning away. She was definitely looking at Mari.

When Mari was done, Skye seemed out of sorts. It was terrible, but Mari was almost glad; there was comfort in realizing that maybe she really was not the only one nervous. What did that mean though? What was going on in Skye’s head? She had half a mind to step far enough away to get a glimpse of color.

That would be cheating though; maybe she just needed to test the waters. Dear heavens, how did she do that, though?

Mari sat on the bed next to Skye, pulling her knees up against her body. ”Hey, Skye? You know how I told you about my thing. How I don’t really get attracted to people, except in really rare situations?”

Mari’s eyes were on her toes because she worried Skye would read her too easily if she made eye contact. ”So, there’s this person I know. And… I think I’m kinda into them.”

Not only would Mari stepping away probably have brought everything to light, it probably would have made things a lot easier. Hell, Skye herself wished she had some way of reading people like that. She definitely would have been the one to step away and see what was up. Just because it was easy didn't mean it was wrong.

When Mari sat next to her, Skye slid closer, not quite shoulder to shoulder, but close. The silence was finally broken when Mari asked a question. "Yeah, I remember," she answered, looking over at her.

What came next was like it came straight out of every cheesy romance movie ever, but Skye didn't know what to make of it. While Mari was looking at her feet, Skye was looking straight at Mari's face, eyes taking in every detail. Her heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest at any moment, and her face felt like the disco-ball her hair usually resembled. She was sure she was glowing red.

But she could only hope. She wasn't sure if Mari was talking about her, but...what if she wasn't? Taking a deep breath, Skye put a hand on her friend's knee.

"Remember what we talked about the day we met? Just...go for it. If you think it'll make you happy...go for it." She looked away, knowing that this was always the part in the movies where the crush let the protagonist know they had fallen for someone else. But...if Mari was happy, she'd be okay with that. Maybe.

Mari was not used to talking about her emotions and romance because, until recently, she had little of the former and none of the latter in her life. Now that she was feeling things for the first time others experienced as kids, she was terrified to do it wrong or to say something and get shut down. She never even got that far with Celeste, since she found herself a boyfriend too quickly.

Talking to Skye about her feelings without saying who they were for felt like intentionally hiding something. Why? What kept her from coming out and saying it? Maybe it was the thumping of her heart that she could hear so clearly. Maybe the butterflies in her stomach were making her hesitate. Maybe she wasn’t ready to change how things were between her and Skye.

Skye did not make assumptions, or if she did, she kept them to herself. She reminded Mari of their first encounter. It was the subway and Mari was stuck trying to make a major life choice. Déjà vu. She did remember the day clearly. Skye was the one who gave her the push to follow her dreams. A bold mutant girl who knew her less than a day. Even then, Skye wanted Mari to be happy. She told her to go for it. ”Okay.”

Mari turned her body toward Skye and leaned in. Her entire body tingled as her lips pressed against Skye’s lips for the first time. She was inexperienced and was awkward with the angle of her head, bumping their noses together. She would just trust Skye to guide her, assuming Skye didn’t just pull away and ask her to leave.

The following silence seemed to drone on for ages. No words were being said, and the only sound Skye could hear was the sound of her pounding heart and the rush of all the blood in her body flowing straight to her face. Part of her felt her stomach sinking, waiting for Mari to break the news that this wasn't about her, and that someone else had caught her attention.

But then...as she managed to turn back around, Mari's....nose bonked against hers. And then their lips met. It was...sweet, but a little awkward. But with what Skye knew about Mari, she wasn't surprised. Or upset. In fact, she was relieved, and she felt a weight lift from her shoulders. But that didn't stop Skye from pulling back and shaking her head.

There was a smirk played across the brunette's lips, though as she looked at Mari. "Like this," she said softly, leaning in gently and letting their lips meet again, an arm lightly resting in the middle of Mari's back. When they parted, Skye's cheeks were still flushed pink, but she, for some odd reason, couldn't shake the full-blown smile that was plastered on her face.

Mari tried not to giggle at the clunkiness of her kiss. Skye was more experienced than she was. Maybe if she was lucky, Skye would find her awkwardness endearing.

The kiss broke and Mari worried she made the wrong move. Maybe she misread Skye, or the kiss was so bad, she made Skye disinterested in her. There was a wave of relief when Skye smirked and returned to kiss her, leading her into the kiss, making it easier to meld into her.

When they stopped kissing the second time, Mari’s breath was shaky. She matched Skye’s smile, her hands resting on Skye’s hips. She could see why people were so high on kissing. Skye made the appeal quite clear. Experience did not hurt.

Of course, Skye’s experience came from her dating style. Mari had not been thinking about that until she was now meeting the eyes of a girl she had significant feelings for. She was not a casual dater like the rainbow mutant. What if that was what she was getting herself into?

Mari needed to communicate. ”I like you, Skye. Like, I like-like you,” she admitted, using the cliché innocent term. ”I hope… well, do you like me the same way I like you?” Her expression was genuine and her eyes expressed vulnerability. ”I know what I want, but I want to know if we’re both looking for the same thing.”

That alone had been enough to ease Skye's nerves, to lift every weight she'd been feeling at that point. But the question was....now what?

Luckily, Mari started talking again, and she nodded. "I feel the same about you...yeah." She murmured, smiling a little. "Though I kinda realized how you felt when you kissed me," she giggled lightly, then turned back to the somewhat serious subject. "I've felt this way about you since....at least the party...And....while I'm not very...good at relationships...I want to try."

After she spoke, she looked away for a moment; her comfort zone was brief encounters that never lasted longer than a few months. But for Mari....she was willing to give this a shot.

Marisol did not put much stock into consequence when she chose to kiss Skye. There was a big future to consider after that kiss, but those thoughts were not on her mind in that moment. All she thought about when kissing Skye was how much she had wanted to do that and for how long. The real questions came when they broke the kiss and came clean with their feelings.

The knot in her stomach tightened when the possibility of Skye’s feelings being different hit her. Skye was a young woman with a history of keeping things casual, and Mari had no plan if Skye wanted something casual. Was it something Mari could handle?

Luckily, Skye put those worries to rest. The feelings Marisol developed were matched by Skye. After her first crush went unrequited, it was an uplifting moment to really like a girl and be liked that much in return. Skye acknowledged her inexperience with relationships, but she was willing to try. Marisol could not ask for more.

Marisol could not help it. She met Skye for their third kiss; the third of many, she hoped. She followed Skye’s guidance, comfortable taking notes, and melding seamlessly into Skye’s lips. ”We’ll figure this out together,” she assured Skye when they came up for air. ”I’m still new to this, but realizing you’re my girlfriend now makes my heart swell, so that’s gotta be a good sign.”

Marisol Cervantes had a girlfriend. She could do a victory dance if she was not so committed to keeping hold of Skye.

"You're my girlfriend now..."

Those were really the only words Skye had heard; after that, everything else sort of seemed to run together. She picked up a few tidbits, like figuring this out, and being new to this. They both were; neither of them knew what the hell they were doing, but they were going to tackle it together. Just the two of them.

If not for Mari's aura, the entire room would have been under the effects of a pink strobe-light. Skye smiled, her eyes locked on her girlfriend's.

"Yeah. We can do this, I'm sure." Skye's stomach fluttered a little bit as she just held onto the other girl.