It hadn't actually taken that long to get all her stuff moved in, given most of her possessions were either in a stately home being about as out of place as the could be or more likely rotting in a dump. Her grandmother was an evil woman and she wouldn't have put it past the witch to throw out all her things in revenge.

But still, she did have some stuff with her and her room was actually bigger than at the mansion. Which made it look more empty but, she had a habit of spreading out so it probably wouldn't be long until it looked suitably lived in. A few more posters and a proper gaming rig set up on her desk would definitely bring it all together. For now she had to make do with a TV set up on a chest of drawers to plug in some of her consoles, when she didn't want to bother Mari with late night gaming or if they were wanting to watch different things.

In fairness though, it was pretty unused. They'd been hanging out a fair bit actually, eating meals together and generally chilling on a night.

It. Was. Awesome. And all theirs. No schedule, no curfew, no judging eyes when she wanted a drink. Just them. Alone. Together.

"Hey Mari, grubs up! Come get it while it's hot!" Alice had kind of fallen into the defacto cooking role, which she really liked to be honest. The kitchen had been her first real focus and it was almost at perfection. A couple more purchases and some minor tweaks to where things were and it would rock. For now though it was being used to make some disgustingly healthy stir-fry thing she'd found a recipe for and it had come out pretty damn good. "And if you don't hurry there'll be none left!"

She was still in the refining stage of making actually healthy meals but Mari preferred it and really, it didn't make much difference to Alice. She could always down a tub of ice cream later when her bar dropped.

Slowly but surely, their apartment was coming together. They started off light on… well, stuff. Both girls lived in dorms, one larger than the other, but more or less a bedroom’s worth of junk. Her uncle gave them their first piece of living room furniture-- a couch that was lightly used but still perfect for two young women needing a place to sit. From there, they were finding pieces to fill needs where they could.

It was nice. They had a living room, or the start of one, where Marisol could relax and hang out with her roommate. Of course, there were still times when she needed time to herself, but that was what her bedroom was for and that system was working so far. Marisol was still getting used to Alice’s… shall we call it, free-form schedule, but they were adapting. Alice was good at not getting too loud or distracting, making the inconveniences minimal. Honestly, it was better than her last roommate had done.

It was a typical night, and Marisol was feeling the aftereffects of rehearsal. When she got home, she opted to soak in the tub for… well, long enough for Alice to get home and evidently cook dinner. Did Alice even know she was in the bathroom?

Well, she had been there absorbed in a book until the water was barely warm anymore and her toes were definitely pruny. Alice’s call for dinner was as good a prompt as any to get out and on with her night. The fact that she could smell the stir fry from the bathroom helped her choice.

Draining the water, Marisol patted herself down before wrapping the towel around her body. She opened the door of the bathroom and stepped out, spotting Alice immediately. The main area of the apartment was open, so she was on one end of the living room, and Alice was in her element in the kitchen, which was on the other side and separated by a half-wall-slash-counter. ”Mmm, whatever you made it smells divine. Let me rush to throw on clothes and I’ll be right out. And if there’s a bowl waiting for me at the couch when I get out, that’d probably make you the best roomie ever.” With a grin, she briskly walked though the living room to her own bedroom, holding her towel in place as she strode.

When she'd gotten back Alice had guessed Mari was already in. Which was easy given some of the lights were on and some of her belongings were already about, which meant she'd be able to cook something for them both. Which was awesome, she was kind of a feeder anyway and having her own kitchen to play in, experiment with and most importantly, rock out in had cemented how much she was enjoying living in the place.

One thing she was struggling getting used to, was the fact that Mari would sometimes do exactly what she'd just done. Wander through dressed only in a towel. Like, just a freaking towel. Which made her feel guilty for checking her friend out. In her own home. Every single time. Which begged the question why did she not stop but that was an issue for another time because Christ, she could not look away from Mari's arse as she disappeared into her own room. She'd barely even heard the request, having to shake her head back into some semblance of real thought.

Best friends could check each other out right?

Quickly plating up the food and giving it the finishing touches, she quickly cleared as much as she could without the food getting cold and brought it over to the sofa. She dropped Mari's one a side table before getting into a comfy position, sitting cross-legged and getting ready to dig in. Except she couldn't. As much as she wanted to the years of politeness and etiquette training forced her to wait for her friend before she ate. Never mind she wasn't at a table nor the lack of disapproving looks from family or teachers it was like it had become sub-conscious.

Instead she flicked the TV through a few internet apps before finding the one she wanted and queuing up the show they'd last been watching. Something mindless they'd could zonk out to while eating, on a TV she had to admit might have been a bit much, but Alice had insisted on getting one with most of the bells and whistles needed. Her mum hadn't even been able to argue much, Alice had presented a few very well reasoned arguments about longevity, usefulness and something about saving money by having all in one or something.

Yeah, OK she had bagged most of it but she knew tech. Her mum, not so much.

Hearing Mari's door open she got ready to start the show up, "Dumb TV ready, food ready, now just one more body on this seat and we can get started." Turning and giving her friend a grin, "best roomie ever achieved."

Marisol retreated into her room, closing the door as the towel fell from her body. Despite her typical lack of interest in the sexual, Marisol had no qualms with her body. To the contrary, she worked hard to keep her body in top shape. Being an actress and a dancer, her life spent a not-insignificant amount of time in dressing rooms around other women. She saw no issue with going to and from the bathroom in her towel. She had picked the furthest of the two bedrooms from the bathroom, so the journey could not be helped.

Once she was sufficiently dry, Marisol confirmed she had nothing but to do tonight beyond hanging out in the apartment with Alice. She grabbed cotton panties, blue cotton shorts, and a heather gray tanktop, donning the ensemble. This was truly the height of comfort! Well, almost-- she needed some long socks to keep her feet warm. New York Winters, after all.

Once she was sufficiently cozied up for the night, Marisol returned to the living room, she hopped over the back of the couch and bounced into her seat. With a quick scan of the area, she spotted her food and grabbed the plate. "You're the best. Undisputed fact," she affirmed, forking a hot, tasty bite of stir fry into her mouth.

Marisol covered her mouth with the back of her hand so she could ask, "You don't have homework or something, right? Heaven forbid I'm a bad influence." She framed it as a joke, but after her own experiences, this was something Marisol was susceptible to worrying about.

When Alice had turned around she'd been expected to see her friend in relax mode but not quite that much of a relax mode. Because she had a pretty good view of a different part of Mari's anatomy than before and had it just gotten very warm in the apartment because she could feel the heat suffusing her chest. Her own chest that is, she couldn't really say what her friends chest was like. Even if it was there, in front of her. Without a bra. Which was totally cool because why would she need to wear one in her own home.

No reason at all.

"Good to know you agree. Would hate to go through the effort to not end up winning," she joked, trying to focus on something other than what she had been. "And just say if you think anything I make needs tweaking. Need the input if I'm to cater to your palette as well." Alice had pretty simple tastes in food, more out of necessity than choice, but it meant she could make pretty much any combination and it'd be nice or at least edible. Most people however had certain tastes so she was trying to learn as much as she could about Marisol's so she wouldn't make something she really didn't like.

Side eyeing her friend and wolfing down her own plate, she mulled over her outstanding work. Maybe three pieces if she was being generous but one was nearly finished and the other two weren't due until the start of the next week. "None I need to do tonight. Might get the last touches added to my English essay before bed but nothing major." Given it was high school work it really wasn't that difficult, she just actually had to do it and go to class.

"What about you? Tiring day I take it if you soaked for that long?"

It was easy to feel comfortable around Alice. The blue-haired girl has a casual air about her, and it encouraged Marisol to relax and take things casually. With some roommates, she might concern herself with what the other girl thought of her. With Alice, she just let herself be... well, herself.

"It's delicious. My rule of thumb: if you just make sure you don't skimp on spice and flavor, I'll be happy. As someone who has had to subsist on chicken breasts for extended periods of time, that can be very bland if you don't do something to make it interesting." Thankfully, Alice had done great with the stir fry, showing off her culinary prowess. If she was not so committed to engineering, she would make a hell of a chef.

It did sound like Alice had some tasks, but nothing dire. She was approaching the end of her high school workload, and unlike some people, she was handling things fine. Good for her, honestly.

Alice shifted the focus back to Marisol, who stretched out her limbs in response. "Understatement. Rehearsal kicked my butt," she admitted. "At this rate, I might have to look into getting a masseuse. My back and shoulders need attention and my thighs-- oof, my thighs. They could use some love," she lamented before indulging in another delicious bite of her dinner. At least she could watch whatever they had on TV and go into low-maintenance mode mentally. It was nice to unwind and de-stress, even if her limbs were still crying out for relief.

That was a decent rule, especially when dealing with chicken. Alice had always used it more as a vehicle for flavour than out of any love of the meat itself but it could be pretty good if treated right."Good to know you like spice because I have some killer Indian dishes I haven't been able to do for a while and given how next to impossible it is to get a good one here now is clearly the time to use them again." Britain was mildly obsessed with curry, it was almost as traditional in some places a Yorkshire pudding. They'd even invented their own twists on it, in Glasgow of all places.

Nearly choking on her food at the thighs comment she resisted the urge to give them a once over because of course, this was her friend. Who had great thighs. And checking them would be wrong, of course. "Christ Mari are you trying to kill me over here? Can't just put that idea in my head out of no where." So many thoughts.  "But yeah, a masseuse would be relaxing I imagine." For some, at least. The idea of essentially getting felt up made her tense let alone the experience.

Returning her empty dish to the kitchen and watching the hunger bar go up, a fair bit slower annoyingly than she'd been hoping she gave Mari a thoughtful look before coming back. "So dear, anything particular you want to watch other than," gesturing to the show she had effectively been ignoring, as she leant over the back of the sofa "maybe with a bit more action in it?"

---

Quickly pulling herself through the door and shivering despite the heat she stripped out of her damp clothes, threw them in a hamper before heading for some replacements. Where the hell had that rainstorm come from and why did it have to hit just before she got home. Now she was soaked and friggin' freezing.

Entering the main room again, "Bloody hell it is awful, I feel like I've just lost all the heat in my body."

Now that Marisol had made it through school, she had more time to spare. Admittedly, with how rehearsals ramped up, free time was still at a premium, but the actress was no longer overwhelmed by everything she had to juggle. If anything, now her concerns rested with financial responsibilities. Her pay for the show would scale up when the shows went live, but until then, her budget was tight.

Thankfully, Marisol still had a good relationship with the woman who owned the cafe she worked at throughout her high school years. Picking up a handful of shifts helped balance out Marisol's expenses. It also reaffirmed a taste for coffee in Marisol that helped keep her going as she stayed busy.

After a short morning shift, Marisol had returned just in time to beat the approaching storm clouds. After a morning of making coffee, she had immediately started a pot in the kitchen. She had been given a new roast by the owner, so why not make something hot to deal with the cold gross day they were going to have outside?

Marisol was in the kitchen, still wearing her restaurant apron when the door to the apartment opened. She almost spoke up but her voice died in her voice as Alice stripped. She pressed her lips tightly, feeling a warmth in her chest. Hypocritical warmth, considering she would have done the same.

Forcing a smile and leaning over the kitchen island, Marisol asked. "Lose your race with the freezing rain clouds?" It was easy to see how cold Alice was, both by the goosebumps and certain... features easier to notice through only a bra. "Would it help if I say coffee's almost ready?"

Alice nearly jumped a mile when she heard Mari's voice. Because there was no way she had just given her friend a strip show in their living room. It had to be her imagination. That was the only explanation, because when she turned around, there wasn't going to be someone standing in the kitchen while she was only in her underwear. So when Alice did turn around, her hearty leapt up a few gears, her face blushed and she dove for the relative cover of a t-shirt because she was no where near as free with her body as Mari seemed to be.

"F**king hell Mari warn me next time before I give you a free show," she spat, a little bit annoyed with herself for not actually making sure she'd be fine Especially after she noticed certain colder bits of her body weren't exactly warming up with her just stood there in her underwear and a pretty thin shirt on. "You know, cough or something."

"Coffee sounds like the best idea all day," she added, a little bit less aggressively than before now that her shame was retreating, "and I might just be able to forgive for catching view if you did happen to make me one filled with cream and that hazelnut oil we have." She was craving comfort food now that she was cold and no one could blame her.

Yes, so she was a massive hypocrite who had totally done exactly the same thing to Marisol more than a few times but she wasn't ever going to claim she was consistent. And it wasn't her fault at all, she was a healthy girl with a healthy interest in girls who lived with a dancer. Who didn't wear much sometimes. And showed off her legs with those shorts. Which Alice had never noticed, at all.

OK so maybe she didn't realise how hot Mari was. Of course she knew she was beautiful, she'd be blind not to notice that but she'd certainly gotten an appreciated for certain.......parts when she'd gotten a better glimpse. "Just don't expect a strip tease everyday," she joked lightly, "I wouldn't want you to get to used to me prancing around half dressed."

At least Marisol was not the only one to feel some embarrassment here. Truthfully, she was surprised she was feeling embarrassed, but maybe it was because of how familiar she was with Alice as a friend. She was not just an actress in a dressing room. That made sense, right?

Watching Alice be embarrassed though? Well, that was admittedly cute, drawing a grin out of the latina with the pinkened cheeks. ”I’m not sure there was much time for me to say anything between the clothes being on you and them being on the floor.” She gestured toward the living room. ”You look frozen, hon. Grab the blanket on the couch?” In a blanket, Alice might be less cold. And less distracting.

Alice was very slim due to her mutation. Plenty of girls would kill for her metabolism but Marisol knew it was a burden in its own right. Still, Alice’s lithe figure was nice. Marisol did not have “types,” but Celeste was on the thin side, right? Skye was petite, too. Maybe there was a trend there?

Not that she was assessing Alice as being her “type” or not. They were roommates and friends, but Alice was also a woman. Marisol liked women. Why not take the moment to think about her aesthetic preferences?

”So wait, making your coffee doesn’t warrant more shows? Hmm, we’ll see then,” she teased, but she was already preparing Alice’s coffee the way she liked it.

The silly, sexy incident did make her think about her morning. ”You know, it was funny. When I was heading to the cafe this morning, that older woman from down the hall mentioned she had a sweater her niece has outgrown. She asked what size my fiancee wears. What do you think, darling? Want a hand-me-down?”

Her grin was broad as she poured their coffees into their favorite mugs. ”Honestly, at this point I don’t even know how or when we’re gonna be able to correct that little rumor.” It was their fault, after all. The news traveled fast, and even netted them a few move-in gifts from their neighbors.

Never had a suggestion sounded so heavenly. Reaching over the sofa and dragging one of the warmer blankets they had she quickly wrapped it around herself and nearly forgot herself in the sudden feeling of warmth.Truly, blankets were one of humanities best inventions for dealing with cold days. "If I didn't need to pass this year I would not even leave my room in winter. I would seriously cocoon if I could."

Coming back to the free standing worktop and perching on a chair so she could cover up as much of herself as possible with the blanket, "You must think my prices are really low if you reckon a cup of coffee is enough for a striptease from me dear," Alice joked, "but I'm sure I could find an excuse if you really wanted to see me naked."

Oh, yeah. That had gotten around a bit and now Alice was always having to answer questions about how they met and all the weird stuff. Maybe lying about getting married wasn't exactly the best plan in the long term but it had netted them some gifts which was cool. Also sweaters, which while they had never really been her style she would killer for warm clothing right now. "OK, you get me that sweater and we can talk about another show. Christ you find a way to keep this place warm enough and you can have as many as you want," she added with a grin.

Grabbing at the mug for the warmth she certainly had thought about that problem. "Well I think we do have a couple options. First, we could always just come clean and say we were pretending, which at this point is probably not a good idea." Yeah, people generally didn't like being lied to about that kind of thing, "Second, we just keep lying and say we're not getting married until after uni and by that point we may have already moved out." Maybe, if she had to. Or got sick of Mari which really did not seem like it would happen.

"Finally, we could always just make it true. Granted that's probably the least likely options but you could do much worse than nabbing an eligible heiress. I am quite the catch after all." Alice certainly didn't see herself as the settling down type, at least not yet and she didn't get the feeling that Mari had that kind of interest in her.

She wouldn't exactly say no if the opportunity arose because as she noticed quite frequently, her friend was damn attractive. But only her friend. Just that. Friends.

”It’s a shame the Mansion won’t let you complete the rest of your work from the comfort of your cocoon,” Marisol teased as her friend huddled within the heavy blanket for warmth.

> "You must think my prices are really low if you reckon a cup of coffee is enough for a striptease from me dear, but I'm sure I could find an excuse if you really wanted to see me naked."

Marisol’s mouth felt suspiciously dry. Where was a good witty comeback? Probably behind the flood of images in her head now. Thankfully, she powered through to the sweater, and Alice pushed her again with another show. Come one, Marisol, make an effort. ”Sure you want to offer another show? I’m a professional performer; what if I’m a harsh critic?” Not that the performances were anything alike, but it was clever, right?

So they had put themselves in the odd position of playing the roles of two betrothed women in the building. Alice had some ideas, and true to form, she was a constructive planner. As nice as the truth was, it was the most painfully awkward option. Waiting until after Alice was done with school? That was actually much more reasonable, though it did mean keeping up the charade for four years. Was that so bad though? They were having fun with it, beyond a few awkward interactions.

And then that third option. Did the room get warmer? ”I hope for your sake that wasn’t how we got engaged. I don’t think I would have been wooed by your flexing, darling.” It was light-hearted; they both knew Alice was not some spoiled rich heiress, or at least that did not define her. Since that day apartment hunting, it became something they could make jokes about more easily. ”I better have been proposed to in a very romantic way or this engagement is a farce.”

"Definitely an absolute travesty," she shot back, happy to have a friendship that was slightly less combative than her others. Which at this point was just Emily so it's not like it could get more so but still. Nice to have. "I'll probably need to just leave and emergency one at Uni when I start if the labs are cold. Preferable a fire proof one because I don't think nylon and soldering irons mix well."

Yeah, that'd be a good way to set herself on fire.

Alice very much doubted that Mari could be a harsh critic. Truthful, maybe, but she got the impression her friend was more constructively critical than not. Of her strip show. That she only now realised she was offering. To strip, for a friend. "Hey, I might not be the most coordinated person but I am pretty flexible. Bet I could pull of something mildly interesting if I had the motivation. Just don't ask me to dance as well because no one wants to see that." Tall, skinny and uncoordinated didn't tend to mix well when it came to moving in rhythm.

She did have to consider, if one of them proposed, both who would it be and how? She had to admit of the two of them Mari was probably the more 'romantic' person. She was demi, but Alice didn't actually know much about how that worked when it came to the romance side of things. All she did know, is she was terrible when it came to knowing about any of that kind of thing so it was a fair shout Mari would be better at it than her.

"Dear, if a little flexing didn't I'm sure I managed to find a way to tip you head over heels. Probably involved a lot of chocolate and whipped cream and no, for once I'm not being sexual." Well, mostly not. Sure there were fun bedroom base things you do with those Alice reckoned if she was to capture someones heart it would have been via the stomach. A little home cooking went a long way and she could do a lot more than that.

Laughing at the farce comment, "Because as we both know we are deeply, madly in love from you moving and personal proposal. Probably involving cosplaying or something." Which, actually sounded like it would be a pretty awesome way for someone to propose.

Marisol understood the plight of someone seeking warmth. She was from California for goodness’ sake. Seeing Alice cozy in their warmest blanket, it was not a lie to say she was envious. It looked warm in there, and if they were sharing it, it could be even warmer.

And while there was nothing wrong with sharing a blanket with your friend, the notion did lead to much different thoughts. Where was her head even at today? She smiled and chuckled, trying not to let her mind stray on the topic of flexible Alice. ”No dancing. Fair. If you ever have to dance, I’ll just help by leading. It’s fine.” Except the type of dance they had been talking about was--

MOVING ON. She shifted her focus on to talk of their fake proposals. This was, oddly enough, safer. She could justify more of her thoughts as a consequence of her “role.” Alice was convinced she could have won Marisol over. The dancer’s mind actually went to desserts first before Alice hijacked her thoughts with further implications. Marisol had never used either during anything intimate, but her imagination could connect the dots.

The swimming sexy thoughts were cut through by a big L word. It was part of the act, and that was why it made her heart flutter. ”I clearly never stood a chance,” she admitted warmly.

Her eyes lingered on Alice dreamily before she finally noticed and took a sip of her coffee to look away. Her gaze shifted to the side to the living room. ”Hey. It’s actually pretty chilly in here. Maybe we should crank the heat and cuddle up on the couch for warmth?” she suggested playfully. ”Warming up with my fiancee and playing games or watching a sappy movie sounds like a way to beat the cold and dreary, right?”

Sipping at the hot drink and finally feeling the warmth penetrate deep down she sighed happily. It was damn hard to argue with fresh coffee when coming in from the cold and even if she had stripped down in front of her friend the start of the evening wasn't a total loss. Although she had literally offered her best friend a strip show. Not even alluded to it, just kind of outright said it.

That was a little new.

Alice had to admit, while she absolutely hated dancing, Mari did make it sound fun. And inviting. Because Alice still kind of couldn't forget their apartment hunting and how.....well sexy the girl had made it sound. "Dear, as long as it's not in public where everyone can see me flailing, you can lead any time," she added with a grin.

"Damn right you didn't stand a chance. I am downright charming, despite all evidence to the contrary." Yeah, Alice wasn't romantic but she wasn't useless. Plus she could cheat and just make dish after dish of stuff that were apparently really romantic to other people. Her mum had kept telling her the way to a mans heart was through his stomach and while she probably hadn't meant that to apply to girls, it would probably work on her so why not on someone like Mari? "Although I imagine if we were living in that wacky world of wooing each other you wouldn't be too shabby yourself."

That, actually sounded like an awesome idea. Coming from someone else, that might even be suggestive but while she would have preferred otherwise, because getting asked to cuddle up with a cute girl was awesome, she knew Mari probably didn't mean it to be. "Mari, that sounds like the best. You mind if I get into some comfy clothes first though? As much fun as being half naked around you is, some less rained on underwear would be real nice."

Slipping out of the blanket before throwing it back across sofa, she quickly made her way to her room, idly bending over to pick up her damp clothes along the way. "Pick whatever you want dear, definitely earned your choice of entertainment after that coffee," she shouted over one should before closing the door to actually get into some PJ's.