#fuk dat

Mai glaredat the sky, as if she could make the clouds submit to her will and dispersewith her stare alone. The angry, determined look on her face made Isis smile.

“Isn’t thatalways how it works?”

Mai turnedto Isis, her face softening as she sighed. “Yeah. Murphey’s law.” She shiftedher shopping bags to one hand and laid the other on the small of Isis’ back asshe resumed walking. Isis fell into step beside her, her nerves ignited at thetouch, her fingers curling tight around the handle of a single bag.

Mai was abit of a shopaholic, and was always eager to spend her tournament winnings onnew clothes, shoes, make up, and perfume. She was always asking Isis to accompanyher to the various malls and shops she liked to frequent and Isis always saidyes despite being more of a minimalist with her wardrobe, having a slightlymore limited income, and rarely wanting to actually shop. The stores werecrowded, everything was expensive, and the stores Mai liked to frequent rarelycatered to Isis’ more modest tastes. But she loved spending time with Mai,loved the way her eyes lit up with excitement when she found a garment shereally liked, and loved Mai trying on her clothing hauls and asking for heropinions, or dabbing perfume on her wrist and asking Isis to smell it. So shecontinued to say yes, even though she always had a hard time finding somethingshe actually wanted or needed.

But thistime around her eye had caught a gorgeous blue dress in a shop window they hadpassed, and Mai had talked her into trying it on. The fabric was made ofpolyester but looked and felt like silk, dyed such a deep blue it reminded Isisof the skies above Egypt at night. It was off the shoulder, her favorite styleof neckline, with a ruched bodice that hugged her slender waist and a mermaidstyled tail that showed off the curve of her hips.

She hadabsolutely no idea when she would ever have an occasion to wear something soformal, but it had fit her perfectly and made her blue eyes pop, and she fellin love with it as she stood in the dressing room and stared at her reflection.When she stepped out of the dressing room to show Mai, the hungry look Maipinned her with sealed the deal, and she hadto have it. She carried it home with no plans to wear it out, but she wasalready trying to think of an excuse to wear it around Mai again.

“I swear toGod if it actually starts raining before we get home I’m going to scream,” Maimuttered after another crash of thunder made the shop windows beside themrattle in their panes.

They werestill several blocks away from the train station that would take them home whenthe first raindrops began to fall. Mai didn’t scream, but she did extend a onefingered salute to the sky. Isis giggled, glad that her dress came with one ofthose plastic dress covers so it would be protected from the rain.

“It’s been along time since I’ve been caught in the rain,” Isis mused, glancing up at thesky again. Rain hit her face and she sighed contently; she had always loved therain. Growing up underground had robbed her the simple pleasure of a rainstormfor the first fourteen years of her life. After she reunited with her brothersand promised them they could live above ground from now on rain became herfavorite thing. So she didn’t complain, even as her dress became heavilyspotted with water.

However thelight sprinkling of rain soon turned into heavy sheets that almost felt painfulagainst Isis’ bare shoulders. She and Mai began jogging between storeoverhangs, pausing under the shelter of the occasional awning before dashing tothe next one when it seemed the rain was letting up. Despite their hurriedsteps and the plentitude of awnings, by the time they reached the train stationthey were completely soaked through.

Mai wasgrowling curses under her breath, and Isis could sympathize; she wore more makeup than Isis, which was in danger of running, and she carried more bags thanIsis as well, most of which were the kind of paper that could, at best, allowwater to soak the clothing inside and, at worst, break open.

Mai droppedher bags onto a bench, and Isis was relieved the overhang above the seatingblocked out most of the rain. They were dripping wet, barely an inch of dryskin or fabric between them. Isis’ long, black hair was heavy with moisture,and she rung it out before pulling it into a loose, sloppy bun.

“Well, itdoesn’t look like I’m going to have to throw anything out,” Mai said, pullingIsis’ attention back to her. She blinked, startled by Mai’s appearance. Hercurly mane of hair had lost its volume to the water and trailed down her backin loose, dripping waves. A few strands here and there stuck to her foreheadand cheeks; her face was rosy and pink from their run as well as the chill thatcame with the rain, and her eyeliner was smeared ever so slightly around hereyes.

Mai lookedup at her friend, blinking when she caught her staring. She brushed the hairaway from her face. “What? Do I look that bad? Please don’t tell me I havemascara tears.”

“No,” Isisanswered automatically, breathlessly. In fact, she had never seen Mai moreattractive than in that moment. She couldn’t hold herself back any longer andleaned forward to pluck a kiss from Mai’s berry stained lips.

Mai pulledback in surprise, her eyes wide and her peach face turning red.

Isis’s ownface burned from embarrassment and shame, realizing what she’d just done. “Ohmy gods I’m sorry, I don’t- I didn’t mean- I-”

Mai cut offher stammering by grabbing her face and pulling her in until their mouths werecrushed together. Isis let out a startled moan, her eyes falling closed as Maiworked her lips against Isis’, coaxing her to return the kiss. She did with fervor,her arms winding around Mai’s shoulders and her hands digging into her wethair.

When theyparted they both breathed harder than normal, gazes locking together as soon asthey opened their eyes. Isis fidgeted under Mai’s bright stare, not sure whatto say or what to do, but Mai spoke first.

“You… Allthis time, I thought you were straight.”

Isis let outa bark of laughter, hiding her mouth behind her hand. “I thought you were, too.”

“Fuck,really? I was sending you, like, all the signals!”

“To be fair,I grew up in a tomb. I have no idea that the signals are.”

Mai giggledand rested her forehead against Isis’, even as an old woman on the bench asidefrom theirs rudely cleared her throat. “I could teach you, if you want?”

“I’d likethat.”

Mai smiledand leaned in for another kiss. Isis met her halfway, having just enough timeto glance down at her lips before their lips met.