[X] "How do I even make you happy?"
The girl's mouth opened, and a question spewed forth.
"Nikki, how do I even make you that happy?"
She seemed surprised to have said the words, before her eyes focused in on her paramour.
Birdgirl blinked. Then she looked at the girl a touch sadly. "Do you really wish to understand?" She asked. "Would you trust my reasons?"
"...Nikki?"
For a moment the birdgirl stared, the placid, fake smile that she always wore slowly shifted into a closer truth; a blank expression. "I do not know?"
Her response had not been directed at the girl, rather it seemed to the shadow she was asking herself the query even as she focused on the girl, seemingly staring through her head.
"I… do not know why I am happy around you." Came the answer, slowly. Like a crow repeating words it has heard, but has no context for what they truly mean "The warmth I feel holding your hand, seeing the light in your eyes, the rush of blood to your face, or the tiny smiles you have I-"
The avian-mannered teenager frowned. "Is it love? Friendship? I do not know I have never felt-" She cut herself off, straightening her back; she stood a half head taller than the girl. Her sight-line was still on the girl's eyes, but no longer was no longer seeing through her, no longer unfocused. "I do not know, but I must. I must know why I feel so much for you, and only you."
The girl stared at her paramour wide eyed and open mouthed. "Uh."
Birdgirl nodded. "Yes. I am sorry for the many words and my own confusion."
"I..." She took a deep breath, "it's fine?"
The serious expression morphed into a warm look, manufactured for reassurance. "I was thinking Taylor, to end the date, why don't we go to one of the photo booths here? To get a set of pictures of us, together?"
Whatever the girl was going to say, died on the spot, the non-sequitur throwing her, a complicated expression that vaguely seemed to suggest grief crossed her face.
It did not throw the shadow; it was ready regardless of deception. It would not be found wanting.
"Our cell phones have cameras?" She pointed out after a very long, slow blink.
"Yes but the photo booths print physical photos." Birdgirl countered. "I would like a photo of the two of us, for my wallet."
The girl gave her paramour a look that seemed to judge her before shrugging, "sure, okay, why not?"
Her paramour smiled, hand reaching out for the girl's. Once secured, she led her out of the store and to a rectangular box, a dark curtain hiding its entrance from eyes and light equally.
The birdgirl poked her head inside before holding the curtain open for the girl.
The corners of the girl's lips quirked upwards as she shuffled inside the curtained booth.
Fun fact, Taylor didn't like photo booths.
She had never liked them.
Not when she had gone into them with her parents, nor when she had gone into them with Emma. She had most certainly never gone into one alone.
It wasn't a complicated reason, either.
She didn't like seeing herself in pictures. What was there worth looking at?
It was truly that simple.
Emma had truly loved them, though.
Something about a snapshot that got printed out made it have a physicality to it that digital cameras didn't have. Taylor and Emma had easily spent a hundred, maybe even two hundred dollars in them during middle school.
It had made Emma happy.
Sometimes they had just hung out in one, the dark curtain providing a barrier to the outside world, just the two of them hanging out as they waited for the parent who took them to be ready to leave.
Being inside another one made Taylor's skin crawl, like ants ghosting along her nerves, phantom and ethereal yet present whenever she looked away.
On the other hand, it was making Taylor stop thinking about the fact that Nikki was definitely tripping some red flags that her mom had told her about.
Taylor didn't let it show and Nikki didn't seem to notice, so that was good. Didn't let Nikki know how much she was a waste of space.
It took only a moment for them both to get settled into the booth, with Nikki feeding the machine the required coinage for it to start counting down.
Taylor repressed a shiver at the countdown.
"I just had an idea." Nikki stated, looking at Taylor. "For a pose we can do, for the photos."
Taylor couldn't repress the shiver. A good dozen times Emma had said the same tickled the edges of her mind. She looked away from the screen, "ye-"
A warm hand grabbed her chin, fingers unyielding and firm as they stopped her head from moving.
Taylor's eyes went wide.
Nikki's face got closer to her's.
Time seemed to slow as her heart began to thunder in her chest.
She could see into black pupils contained in rings of gray.
The infinite black pools disappeared as something soft, warm and slightly wet pressed against her lips.
Nikki just kissed me.
Nikki just kissed me?
Nikki just kissed me?!?
The fingers holding her chin kept her from moving, not that she was even trying to when Nikki eventually pulled away.
It could have been five seconds or five minutes- Taylor honestly couldn't tell.
Her face was hot enough to cook an egg.
Every second seemed to elongate, turning from a simple tick-tock to a laborious motion, her thoughts speeding faster than Legend could.
Should she kiss Nikki back? That's what she should, that's what should happen next, right? Or should she not? Nikki was a lot of things and some of them seemed oddly possessive and something deep in her was saying that she should really stop and think about this; that kissing her back would mean crossing a boundary- Taylor didn't think at that point they'd still be just going on dates but actually dating.
And if she was being honest, Nikki would have raised a lot of questions with her mom. Or with her dad if he had seen them. Or told him.
On the other hand, Taylor liked spending time with Nikki...
[] Kiss the girl back, disregard the doubts, officially start dating. Girlfriend get.
[] Don't kiss the girl back, she had some… rather large red flags that were popping up. Like being a mafia princess. Hold off on going official. [+5, QA doesn't like the cut of her jib. Nikki seems sus.]
Author's Note: As much as they might seem like they are dating, they've gone on dates but aren't actually official yet. It's an important distinction!
I don't know if it's come up before but QA does get votes in EVERY vote, she just doesn't care much of the time outside of non-power related stuff. This seems important enough for her weigh in, though.
Please vote and discuss.
This is one of the bigger votes.
