It was dark when Milly stepped out into the cool evening breeze. She took a grateful moment to appreciate the feeling of it on her skin after being cooped up in that office. According to her phone, it was already 20:38. The meeting with Miss Arkwright and Abigail had taken up nearly an hour.

That only left Milly with another twenty minutes. In theory, anyway.

Her predictions had been a little off since Biology Class, always either a bit too early or a bit too late. It wasn’t a big deal as long as she kept five minutes' margin of error in mind when coming and going, but she wished she knew what was causing the fluctuation. It might help her control her power.

So far, she’d had no luck isolating what she did differently.

With any luck, maybe that speedster Miss Arkwright told her about could give her some insight. Though something bugged Milly about that part of the conversation. Arkwright had referred to ‘Milly-time’, but Milly couldn’t remember mentioning that beforehand. Maybe she’d just been careless.

“Do you mind if we take the long way back?” Niki shut the door behind them before taking a deep breath. “I could use some air after that.”

“Sure.” Milly hoped it would help get her thoughts in order about the meeting.

They strolled along the white tile path, then cut across the grass to follow the edge of the trees. It would eventually take them near their dorm building, but they had some time to themselves for now.

Niki looked troubled, and she occasionally looked back at the main building. “...Miss Arkwright accepted that list really easily, didn’t she? It reminds me of how easily Ruth provided you with the data stream from the alarm central.”

“I reckon Miss Arkwright probably okayed that too, then.” Milly nodded. She was happier with that thought than with the notion that Ruth might have used mind control to make that happen so quickly. “Speaking of Ruth, I’m surprised the disciplinary meeting was about her, not us. I mean, it makes sense in a sane world, but… I kinda thought getting away with stuff was her whole deal.”

“That still holds true. I will remind you that Ruth was not punished.” Niki scuffed her foot over the grass.

“Abigail said Ruth didn’t control us,” Milly argued. “Although, now that I think about it, Abigail never explained why. Not that she could, if it was related to a limitation of Ruth’s power.”

Niki nodded. “Or if Abigail was lying. Either way, now we have to act like nothing is amiss. Especially since at the end we let ourselves get bribed by Miss Arkwright to ‘play nice’ when we sign up with ACE.”

“Do you have to be so negative?“ Milly halted in her tracks, causing Niki to pause a few steps further and look back at her. “I know you are just being careful, but we’re finally making some progress. The school won’t eat up my normal-time, and if I can talk to this other speedster, I might learn how to control my power.”

“The one literally called ‘Calamity’? Yes, I am certain she has superb control over herself.” Niki rolled her eyes. “You are being naïve.”

“You’re being a cynic.” Milly clenched her jaw. “Do you just want to think Ruth mind controlled us into finding Meatcrawl?”

“I know I was not. You are the one I am worried about.” Niki threw up her hands. “And since when are you on Ruth’s side?”

“I’m not!” Milly protested. “But I feel like an idiot. I’ve been mad at Ruth since yesterday, which might as well have been weeks, for ghosting me. I even was a brat to her as ‘01’ and ignored her to get some petty payback, but then it turns out that Abigail forbade her from contacting us. It wasn’t even Ruth’s fault! So, what am I left with? A jerk who came to rescue me twice and used her power to make me feel better?”

“You have a jerk who routinely abuses her power, but has not hurt you personally,” Niki pointed out with a grimace, “yet.”

“I reckon you're right,” Milly admitted while awkwardly rubbing her upper arm. She let out a long sigh. “I guess I just… I wish things were simple. I needed help and I got some. I don’t wanna constantly have to look for snakes in the grass. Having this power is stressful enough without also worrying that everyone I talk to is trying to get one over on me. It wasn’t like that back home.”

“Milly…” Niki’s expression softened before she folded her arms and turned her back to Milly. “It is possible that I have been too zealous, but you had over a month to get used to this. For me all this just fell out of the sky this morning, and it keeps escalating every time I turn around. I am used to looking out for myself, but lately you are always on my mind too. Uhm, your safety, I mean.”

The hasty coverup did nothing to dull the warmth bubbling up Milly’s chest.

“Aww,” Milly cooed while she wrapped Niki in a hug from behind. Niki squirmed in mock resistance while Milly used her shoulder as a chinrest. Smiling like a cheshire cat, Milly looked up at Niki. “You’ve been thinking about me?”

“Ugh, I wish you were half as cautious as you are observant.” Niki glanced down at Milly, then immediately looked away again. It was too late, a half second of eye-contact already had her blushing. Or maybe it was the full-on hug Niki was no longer resisting. Who was to say? Niki sighed with faux annoyance. “Fine, you cracked the best kept secret in the world. I like you.”

“Clearly, I’m the greatest detective since Ratman.” Milly giggled while she loosened her hold, letting her hands come to rest clasped over Niki’s stomach. Milly felt Niki take a sharp breath at the touch. “Oh, ticklish are we?”

“I will end you.” Niki grabbed Milly’s hands before that theory could be put to the test. Giving a quick look around, she let herself lean back into Milly. “Before we get distracted, how about a compromise?”

Milly was already distracted, but she nodded anyway. “What did you have in mind?”

“You mentioned before that you wished people were simple. You prefer to think people just have good intentions.”

“Yeah, I get it.” Milly sighed. “It’s not simple.”

“It is easier to think that way than to consider complexity or areas of gray,” Niki motioned toward the school building they just came from, “but I think… I may not be any better. It is not really any more sophisticated just because my base assumption is that people have bad intentions. That is still oversimplifying, just in the other direction.”

Milly thought it over. While Niki was friendly, she did have a tendency to assume the worst in people. Even Milly had to go through an ill-conceived test back in the subway. After that, though, Niki had been staunchly in Milly’s corner. Thankfully. Milly wasn't sure what she would have done without her today. “So, you reckon we ought to meet in the middle somehow. What do you propose?”

“When we meet up with ACE later, I will try to be a little more open-minded, but you have to be a little more skeptical.” Niki glanced down at Milly, still on her shoulder. “How does that sound?”

“I worry it sounds as though you worry too much and are trying to trick me into doing some of the worrying so there’ll be less for you to worry about.” Milly smirked while Niki smiled at the answer. “How did I do?”

“If you caught on to that, it is a good start.” Niki glanced down at her phone then reached a hand up to Milly’s cheek. She lingered quietly for a long moment while Milly stared back at her quizzically. “Say, do you remember what we were supposed to do tonight?”

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It struck Milly as abrupt. Despite Niki’s offer, the idea of hanging out with ACE must still have made her eager for a change of topic.

“Yeah. I have to admit that after all that buildup, you really managed to surprise me.” Milly loved the look of confusion on Niki’s face. She grinned. “I mean, how many people take their first date to the principal's office? Much better than the Ferris wheel, for sure.”

Niki groaned and shoved Milly off of her shoulder. “We are not counting this!” She wormed out of Milly’s grasp then grabbed her hand before marching out of the field and into the treeline.

“Woah!” Milly stumbled a few steps before she hurried up to walk next to Niki. She gave her hand a happy squeeze. “Hey, where are we going?”

“West wall,” Niki replied, then ducked under a branch. “You’ll see.”

“We have a few minutes then.” Milly knew that thanks to a bored bout where she roamed all over the school grounds for a whole thirty seconds.

Niki seemed to be in a hurry. Her pace was quick despite the uneven terrain of mulch and grass; by design, none of the pebble paths led to the outer wall.

The evening gloom combined with the trees and shrubbery left them practically in the dark as they walked.

“Heh, remember when we used to be scared of the dark?” Milly smiled as she felt Niki hold her hand a little tighter.

The first encounter with Meatcrawl at the Pizzeria felt so far away. The following couple of days they wouldn’t even approach a drain or shadow without each other.

“That was less than a week ago.”

“Oh, yeah. I guess it was.”

After Milly watched Niki struggle through a bush, it occurred to her that Niki didn’t actually know the way. She only knew the location of wherever they were headed and was going in a straight line.

They reached the outer wall. At two meters tall, it loomed over them. The setting Sun was on the other side, ensuring the shadow cast them into darkness.

Milly vaguely recalled once thinking it would be easy to climb the wall. Maybe in the daytime, when the handholds were clearly visible.

Milly ran a hand along the rough brickwork. “I’m as big a fan as the next girl of dark places where nobody can hear me scream, but why did you bring me here?” Milly asked while turning to face Niki.

“For this,” Niki said, then pushed Milly up against the wall.

Too surprised to resist, Milly squeaked when her back pressed against the cold stone. Her head and heart raced like a horse in a snakepit. A myriad of motivations for Niki pranced through Milly’s head. The gloom made it impossible to read Niki’s face, which would’ve helped.

Maybe Niki wanted to give her a scare to emphasize her point on being cautious. There was zero chance Niki was in any way malicious. Maybe the wall had a secret passageway. Or Niki saw a guard, and they weren’t allowed out here.

Maybe it was more through wishful thinking than reason, but one thought dominated all the others.

Milly hardly even felt the chill anymore. “Woah! Uhm, so, I get this is rich coming from me but, uh, aren’t we moving a little fast? N-not that I’m objecting! I know how to…uhm.” Milly lied; she couldn’t even bring herself to say the word ‘kiss’ in this situation without feeling like she might die from overheating.

“Perhaps, but it’ll be time soon.” Niki placed her hands on Milly’s shoulders, then ran them down along her arms till she had a hold on Milly’s wrists.

True, Milly-time would start in fifteen minutes.

Milly couldn’t argue with that. She had a hard time thinking at all now that Niki was so close. She could feel Niki's warm breath on her face. The fact Niki was restraining her was weird, but a little exciting. “O-okay.”

How was this a thousand times more nerve-wracking than taking out an entire gang of criminals spread across the city? Her every muscle felt taut, like a pulled slingshot ready to snap at any moment.

Niki pulled Milly’s wrists together in front of her stomach. “Just hurry up and give me a—”

Instantly, Milly gave Niki a kiss. Or her best attempt at one. It was short, more of a peck than one of those romantic face-sucking ones she’d seen in movies. Milly wasn’t even entirely sure where she’d landed. It felt like maybe the corner of Niki’s mouth.

She felt simultaneously elated and like such a loser. A whole new combination of sensation she hadn’t thought possible.

“—boost.” Niki finished with a tremor. Her eyes were so wide that Milly could see them even in the dark.

Okay, now Milly just felt like a loser.

What was she supposed to do now? Apologize? Double down? Ask how Niki felt? Run away? She probably shouldn’t be just standing here panicking, but every thought that came to mind felt more wrong than the last!

Every moment of silence that passed between them felt like a widening gulf.

The sound of someone slamming a car door came from the other side of the wall. Shortly after, a man shouted, “Ey-yo! Pizza’s here! Where you at?”

----------------------------------------

A few awkward minutes later.

In the end, Niki had gotten that boost and returned with their pizza. Now, Milly and Niki sat against the wall, quietly taking slices from the pizza box that sat between them. Niki had laid her phone out, so they’d have a bit more light. Milly worried it might in part be to make sure she made no more mistakes.

At least the pizza was good. A perfect Pepperoni. Strangely familiar, too.

It took Milly a couple of bites before she realized why that was. This had to be from that same pizza place they went to on the day they first met. Milly did not know that the place had reopened already after the attack by Meatcrawl. Good for them. They deserved it.

Milly didn’t need to ask to know Niki’s intention for their date. It was sweet of her. A pizza picnic in the park combined with a redo on their interrupted lunch date. Just the kind of sappy cute stuff combined with punny nonsense Milly loved.

“It is hot,” Niki commented while she fanned her open mouth.

“Yeah.” Milly agreed, unable to keep a focus on the pizza while Niki did that. Milly stared at her lips for a moment longer than she would have liked before she snapped back to reality. “I-I’m surprised they delivered it out here.”

Niki made some affirming noise while she hastily swallowed another bite.

All their interactions had been like that so far. Short, friendly, and entirely devoid of any mention of what happened. Whether that was an unspoken agreement between them now or a case of neither of them knowing how to broach the subject wasn’t clear to Milly.

Milly really hoped she hadn’t ruined it all by accidentally jumping the gun. She hadn’t even felt all that ready herself. Then there was the time difference Niki touched on earlier. Milly felt like she’d known Niki for much longer than Niki knew her. Did that make it even weirder?

Then again, Milly wasn’t exactly eager to talk about it either. There was no scenario where it wasn’t embarrassing. Either she overstepped her bounds and made Niki uncomfortable, or she did what Niki wanted too but did it so poorly both of them would rather forget about it.

Her only comfort was that in at most six minutes Milly-time would start, then she could go bang her head on a wall till either of them cracked. Milly didn’t care which one.

“They deliver along the wall because plenty of students smuggle in food after curfew this way.” Niki picked up another slice and preemptively blew on it this time. She stared at it for a long moment afterward with a look that said she wasn’t quite sure it had cooled off enough, then turned to give Milly that same look. “...Can we talk about it?”

Milly felt as though a vice tightened around her chest. She wanted to, but also really didn’t. It was too sudden. Maybe if she had a minute. She could ask for that, right? That wasn’t weird? Milly scraped together her nerves and held them together just long enough to say, “After dinner?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Milly sensed something was wrong. They echoed back to her a second later. The unmistakable sign that she was in Milly-time again.

“Gahhh!” Milly threw her head back against the wall in frustration. The impact was painful and made a cracking sound that caused Milly to quickly rub the back of her head. Her fingers grazed new fractures in the stone. Apparently, the wall had lost. Great, then she could return to her real problem. “Seriously? Why do I even do anything when it’s nearly time? It’s always the worst timing!”

Milly checked her phone. The stupid thing was supposed to have given her a heads up at the five-minute mark. Exactly so she could avoid getting caught unawares like this. Did she forget to take it off silent-mode after the meeting was over?

No.

“What the...?” Milly stared slack-jawed at her phone.

The display read [20:53] rather than the expected [20:58], or even [20:54].

Being a little bit early or late wasn’t that strange. It was exactly what made Milly adopt the five-minute error margin. But now she was the entire five minutes too early. She’d never been this far off before.

Milly felt a cold shiver run down her back, entirely unrelated to the chilly stone.

She’d swept the occasional minute under the rug ‘till now, but she couldn’t ignore it any longer.

Milly-time was expanding!