A hacking cough rang out as Nicole swallowed hard, forcing air down in a way that felt like she’d been punched in the chest. She may as well have after Kayla dropped a question like that out of nowhere! Where did she even get that idea?

Worse, Kayla was positively cackling at her misfortune.

“I think you hit the nail on the head,” Jeff said, snickering as well.

“We aren’t,” Grace said, her face blood red as she looked between them with wide eyes. “I mean, not that Nicole isn’t fucking gorgeous, but we aren’t—”

Kayla’s cackling redoubled even as Nicole struggled to get her coughing under control. She’d barely caught half of what Grace had said, but it had obviously been something that the devilish woman found absolutely hilarious. Even Jeff was wheezing, the filthy traitor.

No, that title was reserved for their wayward fifth, who was still in the damn chicken place. Well, he probably wasn’t coming back, if he did at all. Fuck, were they going to need to give Carlos a call to see if he could help out in the city just in case Jeff decided to find another team elsewhere? There was that one team down in Kentucky that he would probably fit right in with, one that most teams across the country disavowed completely.

That alone was proof in Nicole’s mind that not every Ranger had heard a voice declaring them worthy. There was no way in hell people like them could be chosen as protectors of humanity. At least, Nicole hoped that wasn’t the case.

At least the laughter had calmed down, what with Kayla wiping her eyes of the literal tears streaming down. Nicole would get her back one day, though she had no idea how the hell that might take shape. Those were problems for future Nicole.

That thought brought her up short, when had she started to consider the future like that?

“Alright, change of plans,” Kayla declared. “I’ve never been to the Mall of America, and I feel like seeing if it lives up to the hype. That should count as team building, if nothing else.”

“If it stops your baseless ideas, then sure,” Nicole said, looking away.

The idea of her and Grace being together was just laughable, there was no way that someone as amazing as Grace would be interested in her like that. Nicole almost snorted at her accidental joke about the song, but it was true. In comparison, Nicole was just a muscled up jock who looked more like a man than even Devon, and he was a literal Paladin.

Once again Grace wasn’t looking at her, which made sense. Someone putting the idea in her head must have reminded her that Nicole just wasn’t attractive, even if Grace was gay why would she want someone like her?

Shaking her head, Kayla put the van back into drive and pulled out of the parking lot, following the directions of the little voice in her phone. Nicole watched the building behind them, wondering just what was going through their teammate’s head as they left. Was it just an outburst, or were his beliefs more ingrained than that?

Only time would tell, but one thing was for sure, Nicole wouldn’t let Grace bear the brunt of it. Looking forward, Jeff fidgeted in his seat while Kayla remained laser focused on the road ahead. The ride continued in silence, only the cold instructions of the GPS sounding on occasion. Pity Kayla hadn’t decided to play more songs that might be fun to sing along with, but the mood was truly shot.

Hopefully some of the cheer would return at the mall.

Grace hadn’t let go of her hand despite the accusation, and Nicole wasn’t going to withdraw her offer of comfort. She supposed that might lend more credibility to the accusation in Kayla’s mind, but what did it matter? Grace was her friend, and Nicole would be there for her.

The concrete building that marked the outskirts of the mall loomed large as Kayla pulled into the parking garage. It took a bit of time to find an open space, especially with it being the weekend and how many people were apparently shopping. Well, if nothing else it would mean that they wouldn’t stand out.

Finally finding a spot, Kayla pulled in, setting the vehicle to park as everyone seemed to take a collective breath.

Up front, Kayla let her head drop to the steering wheel. “Sorry about that, I never expected that from him.”

“Honestly, me either,” Nicole admitted. “I guess he skipped the chivalry and just went full devotion for his Paladin build.”

Kayla snorted, shaking her head. “I can’t believe I found that man attractive. Well, we may as well not let the asshole ruin our day.”

A bit of nervous chuckling followed from the occupants of the vehicle before the four of them stepped out. Nicole stretched, letting her back pop as she twisted back and forth, groaning in relief as she did. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted by a red faced Grace quickly looking away from her.

She was about to comment on that, but Kayla beat her to it.

“Gay. So fucking gay.” It was said fondly, and with a soft smile on her face as she shook her head, walking ahead. “Come on then, let’s see if we can do some of that team building shit before your mutual pining results in the necessity for a hotel room.”

Nicole found herself sputtering denials even as Kayla cackled. Jeff at least had the sensibility to not get involved, but he still laughed with her, shaking his head as he followed along. Nicole let out a heavy sigh turning an apologetic look on her friend who was still looking anywhere but at her.

Should she say something? Was Grace just embarrassed or did she actually see something there? Nicole wasn’t attractive, not like Grace was, and yet there was no denying that she was turning into a literal gay mess right then and there. Grace had been confident and flirty at the Renfaire, and yet, now she was all red faced and averting her gaze. She must have still been flustered from the bomb Devon dropped on all of them, that was the only explanation for it.

“We should probably catch up with them,” Nicole said after a moment. “How about we do some window shopping, maybe check out one of the bookstores?”

Looking up, Grace’s face was beet red as she silently nodded, following along. They weren’t too far behind the other pair of Rangers as they entered the mall proper from the east side. When Jeff and Kayla stopped at the bookstore right inside the doors, Nicole paused, wanting to split up but knowing it would defeat the purpose.

Kayla must have seen the conflict on her face as she just waved her off. “Go ahead, we’ll be here for a while so just catch up once you two lovebirds hash things out.”

Nicole frowned, tilting her head to the side. “Kayla, there’s nothing going on between us.”

The girl chuckled, raising up a single finger with the other hand on her hip. “Ah, but you want there to be. Seriously, we’ll be fine and the old grumpy shield needs to dislodge his sword from his ass.”

“If he doesn’t, he might just find a spear lodged there instead,” Jeff added with a smirk.

Kayla blinked, turning to face the Dragoon. “Seriously? Between Devon’s deep in the closet levels of revulsion and your jokes, I’m starting to think I’m the only straight one in our team.”

Jeff shrugged. “Hey, I’m bi, but I do have a preference for girls. Pity about Devon, he was certainly yummy.”

Kayla barked in raucous laughter. “He certainly was!”

“I did not need to hear that,” Grace muttered.

Nicole could only agree, but didn’t voice it. “Alright, we’ll be back in a bit. Try to avoid burning half the mall down.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“No promises,” Kayla said sweetly before turning back to Jeff. “So, bi huh?”

Nicole turned and started walking before that conversation could embed itself as a core memory for her future self. She turned to find Grace with her hands shoved into her pockets and a frown plastered on her face.

“You okay?” Nicole asked as she and Grace entered the elevator. “You’ve been acting off ever since that asshole opened his mouth.”

Grace was normally so brave and full of confidence, yet she seemed almost shaken. If it was because of what Devon had said, well, she might just have to be extra rough with him in the next round of sparring, assuming there was a next time. Grace had grown up with people like Devon attempting to control her life, and she refused to let her friend suffer further.

“I’ll be alright,” Grace muttered. “Just, between our conversation the other day, and Devon’s bullshit, I’ve got a lot of bad memories floating around the surface.”

“I get that,” Nicole said, reaching out with a tentative hand, brushing a pinky against Grace’s own. She couldn’t help the smile that came when the grip was returned. “If you ever need to vent, or just need someone to offer silent support, just let me know.”

Grace smiled, and there was something about her eyes that brought Nicole up short. She’d never really noticed the hints of green deep in the brown, but they were there. It honestly felt like the first time she’d ever looked into them as long as she had. The moment passed and Grace looked away once again, heading deeper into the mall.

Nicole took a breath, attempting to calm her hammering heart as they made their way deeper into the mall proper. They passed several stores, commenting on things they couldn’t afford, and a few things they probably could, but shouldn’t. Nicole wasn’t willing to put her new metabolism to the test with pure sugar no matter how delicious it might be.

“You know,” Grace said, watching a roller coaster go by, “I’ve lived here for three years now, and I’ve never come here. Kinda funny now that I think of it.”

“I think it’s like Florida in a way. Most people who live there never visit the parks, or the beaches. Those are left to the tourists. With the mall, there’s more convenient options for those of us who live here.”

“True,” Grace said. “Still, it’s an experience unique to the city. May as well go just to say you went and all.”

“I suppose,” Nicole said, smiling with her friend. At least the day was looking like it might improve despite Devon’s best attempt at it. Grace just didn’t deserve to have bigots in her life, not after everything she had been through.

As they walked, Nicole paused outside of a shop bringing Grace to a stop along with her. Inside the window was a gorgeous black jacket made from genuine leather that would extend just down beyond her hip. She couldn’t wear her duster anymore, not with how similar it was to her Ranger look, but this was different enough to not be immediately linked to her masked identity.

Biting her lip, Nicole almost wept when she looked at the price beneath the display. Even on sale it was far beyond what she could currently justify spending. Worse, the mannequin had black slacks with a shirt that had the word “Inferno’ written in flame print across it. The entire ensemble felt like it was made just for her, as a way to represent her identity as a Ranger, and show support for her friend in Red.

“Wanna try it on?”

Nicole nearly jumped at the sound of Grace’s voice so close. Her friend laughed, backing off with her hands up and a smirk on her lips.

“Sorry, I didn’t expect you to be so distracted. Come on, it would look amazing on you, I can tell.”

Nicole huffed, shoving her hands into her pockets. “I couldn’t afford it.”

“So?” Grace asked. “We’re here to have fun, so why not at least try it all on? Worst that can happen is that we take a few pictures and leave without it.”

Something about that statement didn’t quite ring true to Nicole’s ears, but she let it go. She trusted Grace to have her back in a fight, so she would take her at her word. Stepping inside the store a young woman sat behind the counter on her phone barely paying them any attention. She had bubblegum pink hair and bright lipstick to match. Nicole bit back a laugh at seeing a proper pastel goth in the wild.

Grace walked right up to her without any hesitation even as Nicole tried to look anywhere else. The girl held up a finger as she finished a text but Nicole’s focus was on a bright red shirt with a metal band logo featuring a proper axe. It was oddly fitting for the color, not that she’d ever heard of the band, but it somehow worked.

Finally the girl looked up. “Sorry about that, rents are being a pain.”

“I get that,” Grace said with no small amount of sympathy before pointing back at the window display. “Can you help us find that outfit in my friend’s size?”

The girl looked where Grace was pointing and Nicole realized she was probably sixteen at most, likely working an after school and weekend job while saving up for something. Nicole had done the same at her age, right up until her parents died and she was fired for taking too long to grieve.

The girl looked her over for a moment, there was nothing judgmental about her gaze, but it still felt like ants crawling across her skin. “You look like a medium… Yeah, we should have all that. Anything in the window is usually stocked and we only set up the display yesterday evening.”

“Awesome,” Grace said. “Come on, Nicole, let’s get you all decked out.”

She could only groan as her friend pulled her over to the first rack, but there was a smile on her face as Grace began to collect everything from the advertised outfit and hand it over. In a matter of minutes Nicole found herself in a dressing room, wondering just how she’d allowed the situation to spiral so far out of control.

Looking in the mirror, Nicole had to admit that the outfit did look good on her. The shirt, though a bit tight, could easily be swapped out for others and the jacket was fairly warm. Better yet, it would make for a decent riding jacket as well, assuming she kept the bike.

“You ready in there?”

Nicole nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Grace’s voice just on the other side of the door. She started to open her mouth to reply, but choked on her words when she knocked over the rack holding her old clothes. She managed to catch it before it fell but the damage was done, having made quite the racket.

“Shit, I’m opening the door,” Grace said and before Nicole could protest the light of the shop invaded the changing room, catching Nicole holding the clothes rack in one hand and balancing on one leg to keep everything from falling over. A giggle-snort escaped Grace before she could cover her mouth. “Sorry, I’ll just—”

“No, no. The damage is done,” Nicole said in resignation. It wasn’t like a simple fall could really hurt her anymore, but gut reactions were still a thing. She set the rack back upright and reclaimed her old pants which had fallen off the rack in the tussle. “So, what do you think?”

Grace paused in her amusement and finally seemed to notice that Nicole had indeed changed into the new outfit. Grace grinned as she looked Nicole up and down before nodding.

“Yeah, that looks good on you.”

Nicole rubbed the back of her head, looking away while chuckling softly. “It’s a bit of a tight fit though.”

“I mean, nothing wrong with showing off your figure,” Grace said with a shrug, refusing to look at Nicole as she always did when the subject of her overly muscled body came up.

Anger bubbled up from deep down, memories of teens in the halls mocking her, of girls taunting her in the showers after gym. Of Tiffany slipping Nair into her shampoo once… Grace might not have been anything like them, but the attempts at codling her were starting to get old.

Nicole tried to back away, but the wall was right there. When had they gotten so close? Right, the room was just cramped, and Grace was standing halfway in the door. Actually, she was almost completely inside now and the door was nearly shut behind her. There really wasn’t much room to work with, the dressing room far too cramped for two people.

It really wasn’t fair of Grace to do this to her.

“No making out in the dressing rooms,” the pastel goth called out. Grace stumbled back, pushing the door all the way open where the girl from behind the counter was standing with her hands on her hips. “I have a spray bottle and I’m not afraid to use it!”

As if to punctuate the point, she revealed that there was indeed a small spray bottle hanging from one of her fingers. Not wanting to deal with that threat, Nicole attempted to shut the door but Grace was having none of it.

“Oh no, you’re not changing out just yet,” she said with a smirk. “I’ve got to take at least one picture for the group chat first.”

Was she really going to mock her like that?

“No,” Nicole said a bit more coldly than intended.

Grace shrugged. “Okay then, plan B. We’re buying all of it and you can just wear it to the food court when we all meet back up.”

Nicole was forced to do a double take as her eyes widened. Grace was sporting a cheeky grin, but Nicole knew that her friend didn’t have that kind of money to throw around either! She’d seen the price tags on everything, and even with the jacket being the big ticket item, the rest wasn’t exactly cheap either!

“I can’t,” Nicole started, only to be silenced by a single finger to her lips.

Grace smiled, if a bit sadly. “Nicole, we’ve known each other for over a year. Just because we met in person for the first time when you picked up your order, we still talked a bunch about the commission. I’m not exaggerating when I say you’re one of the few friends I have. You really helped me out when you trusted me to make your blades, so let me return the favor and do something nice in turn.”

Nicole bit her lip, every fiber of her being demanding she say no, yet the earnest expression on Grace’s face stayed her tongue. Seriously, puppy eyes on that woman needed to be illegal.

“Fine,” Nicole said, then reached over to a nearby rack, “But only if you let me buy you this.”

Nicole held up the shirt she’d spotted on the way in, watching as Grace’s face lit up.

“Deal!”