ax_main | Monica and Shen

Shen takes Monica out to see Ocean's 8 for her birthday. And then everything was unexpected.

Monica had to be careful as she approached the city and even moreso when she came in or a landing near the theatre. The bit of stealth required so people wouldn't be pointing out the flying girl meant she had to fly in solid form; glowing was such a bad thing for stealth. But then again, flying solid was still a tricky business and required a whole lot more thought and intent then her energy form ever did.

She set down a few block away, and hiked it the rest of the way, using her phone to navigate the streets. There. It wasn't the building she noticed first but Shen, brilliant and beautiful, waiting for her out on the sidewalk. God, if only that girl decided to give even the smallest bit of commitment a try...

Monica waved.

Shen, for her part, had left that sort of careful behind when she came out. She'd been commuting to work by flight anyway, and she'd become a local celebrity in the City. Hopefully not enough that the two girls would get bugged during what was really not a date, pfft. So she'd landed right in front of the movie theatre, and of course she'd had a couple of people ask her for selfies. She'd started chatting with the latest one, but when she saw Monica walk nearer, she excused herself and walked over to her, grinning brightly.

"Hey!" She was dressed as she usually was, and hadn't at all spent thirty minutes worrying about what to wear earlier, before deciding to go with her usual casual self. A green racerback tank top made easy room for her wings, and she'd paired it with black leggings just below the knees. She was, as usual, not wearing any shoes, though on the streets of NYC? Her feet were definitely shifted into her more resistant talons. "Happy birthday!" she added, moving to hug Monica.

Monica didn't hesitate to pull Shen into a quick tight embrace. "Thank you! It's been a good one so far." She let her go and stepped back a bit, nervously smoothing down the front of her pink sundress. "I think this will be the best part though."

"You think the movie's gonna be that awesome?" Shen asked playfully. Her grin became a smaller, but fonder smile as Monica smoothed down her dress. "You look beautiful," she told her, before she could think better of it. Hey, it was true!

Monica smiled at the compliment, trying not to look like it was the only thing she wanted to hear from Shen at the moment. “Naw, the company. It’s been awhile since we hung out together, and I’ve missed it.”

Shen smiled brightly. "Hopefully the movie won't be too bad either." She held her hand out to Monica - like she'd do with any of her girl friends, nothing to see here. Obviously. "Let's go? I've already got us the tickets, but we can get some drinks or snacks if you want." Of course, Shen had picked a theater that did vegan popcorn.

Oh, this was tougher than she'd thought it would be. When Shen wasn't around it was easy to forget how it felt to have her this close. And now Shen had her hand out waiting for Monica to take it. "You're trouble, you know that? All this temptation." She slipped her hand into Shen's, content to let her wonder if she meant the snacks or her.

Shen only gave Monica a wink, then tugged her in the direction of the cinema. "You celebrated with your family yet? Or is that tonight?"

"Nope, I'm free tonight. Mom and Dad took me out for breakfast and gave me my gifts this morning - sort of a tradition with us. And my aunts had me out all day yesterday shopping for clothes." That was the traditional gift from the two of them for any sort of celebration that warranted it. Both lawyers, both with no kids and both intent on being god-tier aunts to their only niece. Their nephews got clothes too, but usually boxed and wrapped. Girls, they both insisted, deserved the experience, not just the clothes. "That's where the dress came from."

"Nice," Shen stated with a smile. It really was a cute dress, and Monica looked amazing in it. (Then again, when did Monica not look amazing?) "What else did you get?"

"Just some gift cards from other relatives. Except for my aunts, we don't really go all out for birthdays." Her friends were dragging her out in a couple of days too, but it felt odd to mention that to Shen. There was such a stark line between home life and school life these days.

"From your parents, too?" Shen asked curiously.

Monica nodded. "Mostly. A couple of gift cards, a new watch strap, some candy... the big gift is the breakfast and family time. Christmas is when they go insane with the presents."

"Ah, gotcha," Shen nodded with a smile. She offered her tickets up to the clerk, ignoring the way they were staring at her wings. "Hey." They were let in, and she gestured at the snacks. "Want something? My treat, still." Hey, working at the café had to be good for something!

"Then I can't say no! Some popcorn and a drink?" Monica had noticed the looks as well but was determined to follow Shen's lead on this. If people stared, she'd pretend she didn't notice.

After getting their popcorn and drink, the two girls headed into the room and took a seat, although it wasn't all that easy for Shen, who had to fold her wings uncomfortably to manage. She had not thought this through.

Monica frowned at Shen. "It's going to be close to two hours in that seat. Are you sure this is going to work or you?"

"Hey, if Warren managed for ages, so can I," Shen replied with a smile she hoped looked confident. "Besides, it'll be a great excuse to go flying afterwards, right?"

The frown deepened. "I don't care about Warren. This is my birthday and I'm not going to celebrate it by sitting here while you're hurting. Besides, I'm sure the popcorn will taste just as good on some rooftop as it does in here."

"Give me a minute," Shen told her, and left the popcorn with Monica as she stood and walked out of the room, shaking her wings out. It wasn't long before she was back with an attendant, who was bringing a stool along. She gestured for Monica to join them as they went and set up the stool at the back of the room, by the end of a row of seats.

Shen was thanking the attendant as Monica joined them, and she then turned a smile on her friend. "There. We can enjoy the movie without any wings issues."

"I'm stubborn." Monica grinned and gave Shen's arm a light touch. "I probably should have thought of that myself though. Stubborn, but not too bright sometimes."

"I mean, I wasn't sure they'd be willing to help out, or anything, but I figured it was worth a try," Shen replied with a smile, and settled down on the stool. "There's no way we were missing out on the girl power without a fight." She would have kicked up a fuss if they hadn't been willing, admittedly - and then left with Monica anyway, if they were not going to try and accommodate mutants here. Shen had no patience for mutant haters.

Monica snorted. "Shen, we are the girl power. Those women up on the screen are going to be nice eye candy, but they're not us."

Shen grinned, and grabbed some popcorn. "They're a different kind of girl power. Proof that the world is changing. Don't diss the power of movies. I can't wait for good mutant blockbusters." She was babbling happily, because Monica saying things like 'we are the girl power' just made Shen want to kiss her (more).

"Can you imagine? Mutants as heroes? Someone like Bobby putting out fires, or Scott blasting terrorists." Or her, rescuing people stranded in a natural disaster. Except she wasn't talking movies anymore then. "I think we've got a long wait for that."

"Do you?" Shen echoed curiously. "I mean, we've had superhero movies for ages. They haven't stopped being popular since mutants became a known thing." It was a small step from that to proper mutant movies, and she had read about several projects in the works. (In most of them, the hero was a white, male, straight, cis-mutant. How original.)

Monica nodded. "If we're relying on movies. What if we were doing that stuff in real life, not like X-Force where it's all about other mutants but... what if we were helping normal people?"

"I kinda thought it was what X-Force would do," Shen admitted with a little nose wrinkle. "Help everyone, I mean." So far, it had really been mutant-oriented, from what she'd heard, although it wasn't like she'd been on a mission herself yet.

"Oh? Well, if it does do that, maybe I'll join. Otherwise..." Monica shrugged. "I get that it's doing good things for some people, but there's a whole lot more suffering out in the world that needs to be addressed."

"But if it doesn't," Shen stated, very clearly thinking out loud. "Shouldn't we do something anyway?"

Monica stared at Shen for a moment, wondering why that hadn't occured to her. Maybe because she'd been waiting for a chance, like with the Harbour Patrol, to serve with a group that knew what the heck it was doing. The idea that she could simply do something on her own hadn't occured to her. If that's what Shen had meant.

"Hold up. Do you mean like the movies? Like you and me just doing something on our to help?"

"Why not?" Shen asked. "It's not the wildest idea." Tommy was doing it on his own. Why should he be the only one? It was just a question of not covering the same spots.

This was too exciting. Maybe not smart considering she hadn’t even had her powers for a year, but... But Monica could plan. “It’s a really good idea. I mean, I’d need to plan, we’d need to plan, but we could help.”

"Exactly," Shen agreed enthusiastically. She couldn't believe she hadn't actually properly entertained the thought before. Why not? There was so much to think about, but it was absolutely doable. Why should she wait around to be told where and who to help? No, this made so much sense. "And between your powers and mine, we can definitely help. Like, really. In all sorts of way."

Monice reached over and grabbed Shen’s hands. “Fires, hurricanes, flooding. I mean, crime if it happens but Shen, there’s so much we can help with. We’d have to think this out, but yes, I want to do this.”

Shen grinned, and squeezed Monica's hands. "Okay. Yes. Let's do this. Think it out first but - do it."

“Oh my God.” Monica let go of Shen’s hand so she could cover her mouth. “Oh my God. This is what I want to do, Shen. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do, just that I thought it would be with the Harbour Patrol or something.” She uncovered her mouth, reaching out again but stopped. “Can I kiss you? To say thank you?”

"You can kiss me for any reason you'd like," Shen answered with a wide, slightly incredulous grin. "But, you know." She hadn't changed her view on anything.

She did. Monica knew that kissing Shen was just a little bit dangerous because where Monica was willing to go, Shen had made clear she wasn’t. Still it was her birthday. Birthdays were times when people were allowed to bend a little, make exceptions, right? She could make Shen her exception for a night.

“I know.” Monica put a hand on Shen’s cheek and leaned forward to kiss her. Just lightly. If it was a little slow, at least it was light, and if she didn’t back away too far when she was done, well, birthday.

Shen would be lying if she said she'd never thought about kissing Monica again, since that first time they'd gone flying together. She'd thought about it a lot, actually. So that kiss, slow and light as it was, was at once perfect and unbearable - a perfect tease, unbearable temptation. Shen's breath had caught in her chest, and she let it out on a huffed out chuckle when the kiss broke. She tentatively slid her fingers along Monica's jaw, not quite sure that she was allowed to touch her, and asked, "Can I kiss you again?"

Monica nodded. She pressed her lips against Shen’s, not lightly at all this time. Shen’s fingers, the request, that first kiss all conspired to make this moment too difficult to resist.

The nod was a non-verbal sort of yes, but the way Monica leaned in again said it all better than any words might have. Shen slid her hand to the side of Monica's neck, fingertips settling on her hair, and deepened the kiss, since for this moment, at least, they seemed to be on the same wavelength. Never mind that it was probably really stupid to start making out with someone you wanted to start a superhero team with. That sort of thought could come later.

The theater's background music suddenly cut off as the first trailer came on on the screen, its soundtrack blaring to life on the speakers, and Shen broke the kiss to chuckle against Monica's lips.

It was matched by Monica's own giggle. "Probably not the best place to start making out," she whispered.

"Are you kidding?" Shen asked on the same tone, eyes sparkling happily. "Movie theaters have always been the best place for making out." Which was an invitation to keep going, anyway, as much as Shen wasn't initiating any more, letting Monica figure out what she wanted.

"Cate Blanchett or you?" Monica raised a finger and tapped her chin. As if there was even a contest. "You."

She twisted in her seat to get a better angle and slid one hand up Shen's arm, pretending a little more cool than she actually had. This would be fine. No crushes and broken hearts from a little fooling around, right?

All right then. "Serious compliment," Shen remarked, right before closing the distance between their lips again, for another kiss. Short, and sweet, but only short because she wanted to add, "Rhianna or you?" Then another kiss. "You." Even better compliment, as far as she was concerned, and she kissed Monica again.

She'd made it clear what she was up for; if Monica was now up for making out, she figured that it meant that she was on board now. Shen trusted her. And more over, Shen wanted to trust her, because making out sounded like the best thing ever. Best birthday plan, too, wasn't it?