What's a little paint between friends?

[Riley Grace]

There was one thing Riley loved the most about living on the top floor of her building. Even in the ridiculous LA heat of July, there was inevitably a breeze on the sixth floor. And because of what she had planned, every single window and sliding door in the apartment, save for those in Taya's room, were open.

A few precious days off had come her way with all the overtime she'd been putting in at the zoo, and Riley had decided to do a little painting. The walls of her living/dining (http://i44.tinypic.com/sy9e75.jpg) area had been the same soft creme color since she'd bought the place four years ago. Not that it was in bad condition, she was just bored with it. She'd chosen a warm taupe color with a pearlescent sheen to it that would look amazing with the amount of sun the apartment got. The wall behind her dining table would be painted the same, only a few shades darker to serve as an accent.

Hands on her hips, she surveyed the pile of paint and supplies sitting on her kitchen floor, before turning a critical eye to the clock nearby. She was running a bit behind - Antonio was coming over to help her move her furniture and do the actual painting, but he'd be there in less than an hour and she still had prep work to do.

Riley quickly changed (http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=46213629) and put her hair up, before she set to work. Rascal Flatts blared from her stereo as she danced her way barefoot around the apartment, in an effort to be ready before he arrived.

[Antonio Fernandez]

Antonio jogged up the stairs of Riley's apartment complex, taking the steps two at a time. He hadn't really been able to hang out with her since the rally downtown, so when she'd asked for help of course he'd said yes. I work construction all week, of course I want to move furniture and paint on the weekend!

He leaned on the railing outside her door, pausing to catch his breath and check out the view. Hey, it could be worse. Antonio looked back at the six flights of stairs. She could have asked for help moving.

He straightened his navy t-shirt before knocking. Country music was playing on the other side of the door. Okay, it's worse.

[Riley Grace]

She started at the sound of the knock, dropping the vase in her hands onto the tile floor of her kitchen. The delicate blue glass shattered, littering the floor with a minefield of debris hazardous to bare feet. With a resigned sigh, she aimed the remote at the stereo and turned it off, knowing full well that Antonio just didn't properly appreciate country music. His loss, she mused.

"Come on in, Antonio...its open!" she called out, her tone bright in spite of the fact that she was balancing somewhat precariously, trying to keep her feet away from the glass and the tips of her wings out of it as well. Glass and feathers did not make a good combination, a fact to which she could well attest. Fingers pulled a paper bag out from underneath the sink, into which they dropped the largest of the shards, which included the two scroll handles that had been on either side.

[Antonio Fernandez]

He dutifully turned the doorknob and stepped inside the apartment, the music abruptly off. Rounding the corner to the kitchen he raised his eyebrows at the sight of Riley trapped by a sea of broken glass. "Where's your broom?"

"By the washer," she said, still precariously balanced on bare feet and trying to pick up the glass with her fingers. Antonio quickly retrieved the broom and swept her a clear path free from the carnage.

He leaned on it for a moment, surveying his work after sweeping the shards into a pile. "God, I'm good." He gave her his biggest smile. "How've you been, Gracey?"

[Riley Grace]

"Yes...yes you are. Thanks for rescuing me." Riley grinned, stretching as she finally stood, her muscles complaining about the horrid crouch she'd been in. Leaning over, she gave Antonio a quick kiss on the cheek by way of thanks, before sauntering out of the kitchen.

"I've been less-than-graceful, as you can see. Apparently you knocking scared the vase right out of my hands. Aside from that, not bad. Working a lot of overtime at the Zoo...summer is always busy with the kids out of school." Riley came back with a dustpan and brush...and a pair of comfortable sneakers laced on her feet. She blew a loose curl out of her eyes with a puff of breath and leaned down to pick up the pile of shards.

With Antonio's help, the mess was tidied and the glass shards safely deposited in the trash within a few minutes. Tilting her head up to look at him, Riley absently shook her wings to alleviate the cramp in her shoulders. "How's the family doing? Everyone's well, I hope?" she asked they walked into the living room, surveying the two couches, coffee table, and dining set they'd need to move in order to get at all of the walls. Drop-cloths and plastic sheeting waited in two neat piles nearby.

[Antonio Fernandez]

"It's been a little crazier than usual," Antonio admitted. "Everyone's fine, but my sister ..." He trailed off, not wanting to worry Riley with the break in and attack, but now too committed to his train of thought to just stop. "She had a scare. Baby's fine though, she's fine, we're all doing good."

He gestured at the couches. "Want everything in the middle of the room then? You're the boss, tell me what to do." He grinned suggestively.

[Riley Grace]

"Ohh thank god...please tell her I said hello, and that if she needs any help with the kids or the house I'll volunteer myself." Riley smiled broadly, her relief nearly palpable at hearing that Anna was alright. Any kind of scare was bad when one was pregnant, but at least both mom and baby were now well.

Arching a brow, Riley rested her hands on her hips and tried very, very hard not to blush. She thought she'd succeeded until he grinned at her, and then her cheeks turned a little bit pink.

"The middle is fine...and don't you give me any ideas, Antonio...I have plenty of my own, thank you." Riley said with a smile that at least pretended to be innocent, turning away from him to give herself a moment to breathe...and to nudge the tarps aside with her foot. Which took several seconds. Heavy pile that it was...

"Right then. Middle." she said as she turned back and walked past him to get to the end of the couch.

[Antonio Fernandez]

Her wings brushed him gently as she walked past, and Antonio took his place on the other side of the couch. "Remember, lift with your legs." He winked as they wiggled the couch away from the wall until it was near the center of the room.

He quickly moved the coffee table out of the way, and looked through the dining area to the closed door of Taya's room. "Your roommate gonna show and help out?"

[Riley Grace]

"Ohhh...so now you're giving the orders, huh?" Riley smiled broadly and shook hear head as they managed to move the couch. She watched as he easily moved the coffee table aside, and managed to catch herself before she asked him to move it again.

Gray eyes flicked up to Taya's door and then back to Antonio before she nodded. "Hopefully, yes. I didn't give her a lot of notice about this, and she had some stuff to take care of on campus that she couldn't postpone."

Riley tilted her head and fell silent, turning to gaze through the open sliding glass doors onto the balcony. Looking disheveled and intensely displeased, Vincent and Boris were perched on the arm of a lounge chair, staring at her. "What? Ohh...too bright. Hold on, I'm coming. No, Boris, you can't eat my hair sticks. Sorry Vincent, I don't think Antonio has any mice in his pockets."

She smiled apologetically at Antonio for a moment, before padding out onto the balcony. Moments later, she'd put up the dark canvas to shield them from most of the sunlight and returned them to their perches. Riley bounced back in and looked a bit sheepish as they moved the loveseat and then shuffled the dining set over as well.

"Sorry about that...they can be a bit demanding. Its like having little kids talking in your head at you when they're awake."

[Antonio Fernandez]

"No problem," he said, dragging two of the dining chairs to the chosen central location. "So they, like, are telepathic?" He squinted over at the owls, and decided he didn't like the way they were looking at him. Antonio turned back toward Riley. "I didn't hear them squawking. When you said you could talk to them before, I sort of assumed it was... y'know. Verbal."

[Riley Grace]

"Ahh...not exactly..." Riley winced slightly, when she realized that she'd never fully explained her gift to Antonio. "I'm the telepathic one...but my gift only works towards birds. Mostly birds of prey, but especially owls. Owls I can understand as if they were speaking English, no matter if I'm in their heads and they're showing me images, or if they're making an audible noise. Although...if its audible, the better I know the bird, the better my understanding. Vincent and Boris over there, I hatched them from eggs a little over six years ago, so I know them inside and out."

Riley busied herself with moving a dining chair and fussing with it until it was just right along side its brethren. Wings and flying, most people could accept. Talking to birds made them a little wary, and a telepathic link normally served to freak them out completely. Not that she expected Antonio to react strangely - he'd been one of her best friends the last few years - but you never knew.

She heard Antonio duck out of the way as an almost-silent Boris (http://i43.tinypic.com/zptzd.jpg) ambled through the air and landed on the back of the chair she was staring at. Riley was forced to smile as the small owl butted his head into her chest and made a soft rattling sound that could be likened to a purr. Carefully scratching his head, he hopped onto her wrist and tilted his head up at her, his rattle turning into chatter for a few moments before falling silent.

"Apparently, Vincent doesn't like you, but he's willing to change his mind if you bring him a snack. Boris is...well, he's Boris. He likes everyone." Riley smiled, though the expression was a little tight around her eyes, as Boris' head turned almost backwards to eye Antonio. He hopped down to the floor, made his way over to Antonio, looked up at him and hooted, before hopping past to get to the balcony and his perch beside Vincent.

[Antonio Fernandez]

He laughed a little nervously as the little bird made its way back out to the balcony. It wasn't that he didn't like birds... but they had claws and sharp beaks and yeah, he snuck downstairs when he was five and watched The Birds and so a little irrational... concern about getting his eyes pecked out was understandable. "I'll have to see about that snack. But first!"

Antonio flourished a drop cloth, settling it down on the floor by the dining room wall. "We paint!"

[Riley Grace]

"Oh very nice...you would make an excellent matador...that flourish was just a little too good."

Riley grinned as she padded back toward the kitchen where the supplies and paint cans were piled up. With a tray, brush, roller and paint can somehow in hand, she returned and set them down on the drop cloth. Next was the ladder she'd dragged out earlier, opened so she could cut in near the ceiling and the higher part of the corner.

Opening the can, she poured paint into the tray before handing Antonio the roller. "Try not to get any on me..." she smiled as she climbed the ladder, brush and lid in hand.

[Antonio Fernandez]

"Don't tempt me," he grinned, watching Riley and her tiny shorts climb the ladder. Tonio dipped the roller into the paint, made sure it was covered, and then started applying it to the wall. "Great color," he teased. "It's like you're turning the whole world beige. After we're done here you definitely owe me a drink."

He rolled the paint onto the wall efficiently. Thankfully the place was small. This wouldn't take too long at all, especially not when he was so good at everything he did. For a moment he wondered what would happen if he used his powers on the paint and sloshed himself on the wall, but decided it was too risky to find out.

[Riley Grace]

"Don't make me come down there, Mister-Know-It-All, its taupe." she said with mock severity, accidentally bopping him on the back of the head with the tip of one wing. "And its easier to decorate with neutral walls. The posters and art Taya and I have is all bright and colorful. They look better on a neutral background."

Eventually, she finished a nice straight line in the corner and along the crown molding, amidst good natured bickering about the color and precise name. Hopping down, she put the ladder aside and helped him finish the wall...well, somewhat helped, as he had delusions of being a house-painting Picasso and remained convinced that she was not.

"Listen, you..." Riley started, one hand on her hip, the other brandishing the brush perilously close to his navy-clad chest, a smile fighting to lift the corners of her lips. "...leave my painting technique alone before I demonstrate it on that nice t-shirt of yours."

[Antonio Fernandez]

"Really?" Antonio looked down at his chest. "You like my shirt?" He winked at her. "You better not waste the paint, we have to make this place nice and shiny for your N*SYNC and Backstreet Boys posters."

[Riley Grace]

Shirt...yes. Its the shirt...Riley mused, fighting the urge to make a saucier comment that she normally would, as unsure as she was about his reaction.

She drew herself up to her full height, giving him a glare of indignance that was almost spoiled by her skin flushing with a bit of warmth. She poked his chest with the paintbrush as she spoke "I do not have any N*SYNC posters in this apartment. My adoration of them was fleeting, and it was over ten years ago...I had no musical taste when I was twelve..."

"They've matured considerably since then. And this color is only going on this wall...the others are going to be a lighter shade of taupe." she gradually finished, admiring the lovely splotch she made on his shirt.

[Antonio Fernandez]

"More beige?" he teased, grabbing her wrist to avoid any further paint attacks. "I'm sure we can find some Justin Timberlake post-ers!" He laughed as she tried to swipe him with the brush again, and angled her arm towards her so the end of the paintbrush was dangerously near ner face.

"Now, now," he said, and then, distracted, turned his head toward a noise at the front door, his grip on her relaxing. "You expecting someone else?"

[Riley Grace]

"Do not take Justin's name in vain! He's single-handedly bringing sexy back!" Riley squeaked as she tried to avoid painting her nose and chin, laughing breathlessly.

She stumbled a bit as his grip eased, tilting her head to glance at the door. "Expecting? No...Taya has her keys. Unless the door's sticking again, it sometimes does that..." she replied as she caught her breath, gently prying her wrist from his grasp and putting the paint brush in its place.

Riley wandered over to the door and looked through the peephole, frowning when she realized she couldn't see through it. "Weird...I can't see anything..." Glancing back over her shoulder, she shrugged, thinking security had put up another notice and blocked the peephole like they had last time.

Opening the door, she didn't see anything at first upon finding that there was no flyer. Then she looked again as her hand came away covered in neon green spray paint. Scrawled across her once-pristine door in uneven letters was 'mutants go to hell'. Riley slammed the door closed, trembling as she made her way into the kitchen and started scrubbing furiously at the pain on her fingers.

[Antonio Fernandez]

Antonio was just relieved she hadn't decided to decorate his face in retaliation, but when the door slammed and Riley returned to the kitchen in silence he knew something wasn't right. The entire mood of the apartment had changed.

The owls looked at him accusingly.

He walked over to where she was trying to wash up, and felt awful. "I'm sorry about the paint; I was just playing around." Tonio looked into the sink and frowned at the green stain on her fingers. "Uh... what happened?"

[Riley Grace]

"Its not you." Riley managed softly after a moment or three, feeling his welcome presence intrude on her panic.

Blinking, she glanced up at, pausing in the midst of her hand-washing frenzy. Losing her tenuous grasp on control she looked back down to her hands and kept scrubbing.

"There's a little paint on the front door. Need...need to wash the door. No. Need to wash my hands. Then wash the door." she swallowed hard, as if that was going to help tamp down on the fear that gnawed away in the pit of her stomach.

[Antonio Fernandez]

"Paint on the -" Antonio stalked out of the kitchen and around the corner to the front door. He yanked it open and silently read the message left there. Then he closed the door firmly behind him and walked out onto the concrete landing, eyeing some green spots on the ground. The trail went down the stairs, of course, but ended before the first landing.

He leaned over the railing, staring down to the first floor and looking for movement. "I hope you're proud of yourselves, douchebags!" he shouted, not realizing that he'd triggered his power on the concrete. Then he stomped back into Riley's apartment, careful not to slam the door. "You got a rag? I'll clean that shit off the door for you. You should call the police, make a report - oh."

He looked at his rough grey arm, and narrowed his eyes, concentrating for a moment to turn back to flesh. "Douchebags," he repeated, crossing over to where Riley was. "You okay?"

[Riley Grace]

She didn't stop scrubbing until the door closed. She rinsed her now irritated fingers off and dried them on her shorts as she crouched down. Opening the cabinet, she pulled out a small bucket that had a pile of rags in it. Dumping the rags on the counter as she rose, she added warm water and a cleaning solution to the bucket before setting that up on the counter as well.

Riley's hands were still shaking when Antonio rounded the corner again, gray eyes watching the skin of his arm fade back to skin from the concrete of the landing. Her gaze lifted to meet his and she nodded, her throat working in an effort to speak - an effort at which she failed.

It wasn't that she didn't know about the anti-mutant sentiment...she'd seen that well enough in her four and a half years in LA. The rally was the first time she'd begun to realize just how bad things had gotten in the city. The UCLA campus and the Zoo where she worked were relative safe havens; the former known for its celebration of diversity, and the latter only too pleased to celebrate her unique connection to the animal kingdom.

This was the first time since she'd left her tiny town in Nebraska that such a thing had been directed straight at her. Riley had thought and hoped that she'd left such narrow-mindedness behind. It was a stupid, naïve hope, but she'd clung to it and become comfortable with it.

Fingers reached out absently to brush his arm, distantly wishing she could hide her own ability just as easily. "I'm okay." she finally replied, avoiding his gaze, her fingers lingering.

[Antonio Fernandez]

He instinctively put his hand over hers, and then wrapped her up in a hug. The feathers of her wings tickled his arms, and he was taken out of the moment for a second as he tried to figure out exactly how best to hold her. "It'll be okay, Riley."

Antonio considered that as long as they'd been friends he'd never held her this close before. He hoped the owls didn't decide to swoop down and claw his eyes out for his impertinence.

[Riley Grace]

She was startled for a moment, completely unaccustomed to an embrace from someone who wasn't her parents or her brothers. But eventually, his arms settles just under the base of her wings, where silky feathers met her warm skin. Her own settled quite comfortably around his waist as her slight five foot, five inch frame leaned against him and reveled in the warmth and comfort.

A faint sigh escaped her lips as she gradually stopped shaking and lost herself in the moment. It was...good. Really, really good. And she didn't want to move.

Eventually though, Riley did move, lifting her head from his chest and sliding backwards ever so slightly. Not enough, however, to dislodge his arms. Her head tilted up and her grey eyes caught his gaze, while a smile settled on her lips.

"Thank you." she managed softly, feeling the words inadequate, but finding them the only ones she could manage to say out loud.

[Antonio Fernandez]

She was looking up st him, vulnerable in the moment, lips slightly parted... Antonio knew how easy it would be to kiss her. But it felt weird somehow. They flirted all the time, but he'd had a lot of girlfriends (well, a few anyway) and Riley was his friend. He felt confused, and a part of him was screaming at him to press the advantage and go for it.

He gently let her go, instead. Joaquin would probably laugh at him if he found out. "What are friends for?" Tonio stepped back a little, lips quirking up in a smile. "Do you want to wash it off now, or make a police report? Either way, we should probably take a picture, in case..." he hesitated. "In case it happens again."

[Riley Grace]

"I'll just grab my camera so I can take a picture. Then we can clean it off."

Riley replied with a smile of her own, briefly leaning back against the counter as he let her go. Fingers smoothed out the slight ruffle of her top as she gave herself a moment to remember how to breathe. And to avoid his gaze.

They were friends, of course...but Riley couldn't exactly help herself from thinking he was attractive. She wouldn't have argued if he'd kissed her right then - she would have liked it. Tiana was going to laugh at her for not taking the initiative herself.

As soon as she was positive she wasn't going to disgrace herself by falling over, she walked past him and through the living room. Her camera was perched atop the small dresser where she always tossed her keys and her bag. Fingers grabbed the tiny little contraption, its bright blue metallic body gleaming in the light.

Riley took a deep breath as she turned the camera on and opened the door again, Antonio behind her with the bucket and the rags. She took a picture of the door, and the trail of green splatter that led down the stairs. Shaking her head, she tucked the camera in a back pocket and started wiping the still wet spray paint off the door.

[Antonio Fernandez]

He had some choice words for the hijos de puta responsible for the vandalism, but he kept them to himself. Mostly.

"Real piece of work, whoever did this shit," he said, scrubbing hard. The paint was coming off, but the white door was becoming slightly green as the water ran down it. There was a faint outline of the words left behind, too. Antonio dipped his rag in the now dirty water and went back to work. "And now I'm going to have to buy you a drink, rather than the other way around."

He winked at Riley.

[Riley Grace]

She winked back and bumped him aside with her hip as she picked up the bucket. The water was in dire need of changing, otherwise they'd be putting the paint and grime back on it.

"Well...if you insist...just remember what I'm like when I'm a little tipsy." Riley replied brightly, adding hot water and a touch of bleach to the bucket once more.

She muttered under her breath, eventually dropping her rag back in the bucket and flexing her fingers. They were starting to shake again - whether that was from scrubbing so hard or her emotions taking one more spin on the roller coaster, she wasn't sure.

In an effort to cover, she stuffed her fingers in her pockets and stood up on her toes behind him, her chin on his shoulder. "We could even paint the door beige...or should I just hang JT on there?"

[Antonio Fernandez]

"Oh, definitely JT. Might scare them off if they come back." God, now she was all over his back and he was rethinking his earlier decision. Antonio cocked his head to one side, gently bumping against hers. "But seriously, no on the beige. Your landlord would probably notice, and you need a paint rated for outside."

He added, grinning, "Trust me, I'm an expert. I can run to Home Depot and pick up a can of white right now if you want. Or we can ask the apartment management if they have any?"

[Riley Grace]

She laughed and patted his shoulders as she stepped back. "I have no idea how the hell you became the voice of reason today. But let me run downstairs and see if maintenance has any. Or can at least tell me the precise shade of glorious white the door needs to be."

Instead of taking the stairs and following the green paint, she ambled down the other end of the hall and took the elevator down to the first floor. She sighed in frustration, finding the little security desk empty again. One of the reasons she'd purchased the apartment in the building was for the security that was supposed to be constantly monitoring the doors.

Yet again, there was no one at the desk and the front doors were propped open. Mulling the thought of selling and moving herself and Taya elsewhere, she thankfully bumped into the maintenance man on her way to his office. "Good afternoon, Mister Alden...could I bother you for a moment?" she asked brightly, plastering on her best and most inocent smile.

He was in a better mood than usual, she mused, having secured a small can of the paint to re-do her door, with instructions to return whatever was left over. Back upstairs, she held up the paint. "Ta-da! I'll dry this off and get brushes. You...open that." Riley grinned, handing over the can before using the last of the rags to dry off the door. Inside, she dumped the rags in the washer and the bucket in the sink before grabbing two clean brushes from her pile of supplies.

[Antonio Fernandez]

Antonio, the voice of reason? Alonso would be so proud. He grinned at Riley as he took the paint can from her. "Ordering me around again, I see."

After he popped it open she returned with brushes, and they made short work of what remained of the stains on the door. Antonio stood up and stretched, wiping some white off his hands onto his already ruined shirt. "Man, this is turning into a really long job. What do we have left, five more walls? You're such a slave driver!"

He took her brush from her as they walked inside and dabbed it on her nose before she could stop him.

[Riley Grace]

"A slave driver? Hey now...at least I'm cuter than your brothers..." Riley began, feigning indignance, hands balanced on her hips after he took the brush from her.

Whatever words were about to come out ended up in a jumbled sort of squeak, the bristles of the brush leaving a bit of paint on her nose. Gingerly holding her wings and edging past the wet door, she eyed Antonio's back and wiped away the paint on her skin. She tried not to focus on his backside, but admired it for a moment anyway before turning to dip her hands in the paint tray lying forgotten on a step of the ladder.

The temptation to leave hand-prints where they shouldn't be was strong.

But Riley managed to lift her hands up a little more, instead smearing paint on his sides as she tickled him.

[Antonio Fernandez]

"Oh my God Gracey you are so dead!" Tonio wasn't ticklish but he twisted out of her grasp, laughing. "Now you're just askin' for it." He snagged her slimy paint covered hands and pinned them under one of his arms, dragging her back over to where the tray was.

"I wonder how easy it is to get paint out of feathers?" he teased, angling her dangerously close to the paint tray.

[Riley Grace]

"Sugar, you started this..." she laughed, her accent devolving to include a truckload of the hick she grew up as. Riley struggled to free her hands, and stumbled slightly as he angled her towards the paint.

Her smile grew even as she shifted her wings a bit larger to give herself better balance. "...but ahd guess its easier ta get it out of my feathers than it will be out of your clothes, 'Tonio..." Riley grinned and tried to twist out of his grasp while nudging him towards the rather full tray of paint.

[Antonio Fernandez]

Her wings got bigger and Antonio protested as she regained her balance and fought against him. "Well, if you're gonna play like that," and he stuck his hand in his pocket and grabbed the metal washer he always kept there. Suddenly it was like Riley was trying to move a mountain, as his skin took on a dull metallic gleam. He was very careful with her pinned hands, not wanting to hurt her, but there was no way he was releasing her now, pet owls be dammed!

"Two can play this game," he intoned, keeping her wrists held with one hand while he reached for the can of paint with the other. Later he would swear that he was only planning on threatening her with it, but a loud knock at the door while he had it held over her head caused them both to jump.

Taupe paint sloshed out onto them both, Antonio getting a mouthful of it as it splashed onto her hair.

[Riley Grace]

"Tonio....put the paint can down...no, down...don't you dare! Don't-" Riley grinned in spite of being wide-eyed at the paint being held over her head. Absently, she wondered if her ability had an upper limit for wing size. Likely yes, she mused, considering she had to be able to support and move them.

A moment later, and her musings were in a taupe-drenched stand-still. She freed her hands from his stunned grasp, and tilted her head to the door, wiping the paint from her eyes. Using one of the other dropcloths, she carefully scooted it across the floor with her feet so she wouldn't drip all over her hardwood floor.

Riley opened the door and looked up at the gawky teenager holding two large pizza boxes. "You ordered two pies?" he said with about the same level of enthusiasm as a vegetarian trapped in a steakhouse.

"I did?" Riley blinked and then winced, catching sight of the note she'd left on the fridge for herself. She'd ordered them in advance for lunch and had completely forgotten. "Thanks...I guess I forgot...can you just put them on the counter here? Great."

With very careful fingers, she signed the receipt and closed the door, ignoring his muttering about weird people in LA.

Hands on her hips, she scooted carefully back over to the accident site, blowing a paint-streaked red curl out of her eyes. Gray eyes were lit with amusement as she bit her lip, trying to hold in her laughter and eventually failing.

[Antonio Fernandez]

He was leaning over the sink, trying to rinse his mouth out, and feeling strangely manic. He angled his head around the faucet, eyeing Riley and the two pizza boxes. "Pizza?" Antonio grinned, then spat a slightly painty mouthful of water back into the sink.

He straightened up and pulled his paint soaked shirt off over his head, metal abs flexed just so. Wiping his face off with the inside out shirt, he added, "Two pies? Were you expecting more helpers?"

[Riley Grace]

There was a moment where Riley fell utterly and completely silent. Gray eyes flicked from Antonio to the pizzas and then back again. And there they lingered.

Damn him and his abs of steel.

Hoping she was covered in enough paint to mask the interest that was likely written all over her features, Riley blinked and eventually managed to tear her gaze away from-

Right.

You know, he did ask a question.

"Nah, no more helpers. I just figured Taya and I would keep the leftovers. Best midnight snack in the world, of course." Riley replied a moment later, smoothing her paint soaked hair back as she shuffled around the counter. Her gaze rose just a little bit too slowly from his abs to his face, but eventually it got there, and she smiled. As if she hadn't been staring, in the hopes that he might not notice.

[Antonio Fernandez]

Antonio looked at her, all bedraggled with the paint in her hair and on her clothes, and he threw out all his previous thoughts and stepped toward her, his skin rippling back to warm flesh. He put his hands on either side of her face and kissed her, fully expecting a slap.

[Riley Grace]

Riley's breath caught in her throat at the look he gave her, then fled with the rest of her scattered thoughts when he kissed her. While his hands held her face, hers rested at his waist, fingers against his warm skin.

When they parted slightly, she was breathless and he looked as if he expected the worse from her. Riley tilted her head and managed a smile before she kissed him back.

[Taya Robbins]

"Girl, why not take out the trash, and once you get him gone tell him not to come back again! Girl, put that cat in the bin, after what he said, after everything he diiiiid!"

Even in the prickling afternoon heat Taya managed to throw a little bounce into her feline gait as she sang along with her iPod on her way up the apartment stairwell. In her paw swung a messenger bag laden with her laptop and a folder stuffed with printouts on Treadstone Industries, that R&D giant that was supposed to be making some big announcement of interest to the mutant community. But that wasn't what had her in such high spirits. That was the press pass in the bag's front pocket, good for admittance of one Taya Robbins to the second row center stage.

"Girl, why not *pant* give him the slip, get the crooked straight, *pant* the go-getter good and gone!"

Okay, so that last flight of stairs dampened her spirits just a little, but that was nothing that couldn't be fixed by an iced latte. She reached down to pause the dulcet tones of They Might Be Giants and dig her keys out of her pocket as she reached the apartment door, but she was halted by the thick, sticky smell of wet paint, which hit her sensitive feline olfactory like a sledgehammer. She'd known Riley was painting today, but she'd thought all the paint was going on the inside.

Careful to avoid the still-glistening patch covering most of the door, Taya slipped her key in the lock and threw the door open.

"Oh, hi, Rileeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey."

She rocked back on her heels and pulled the door shut again. The catlike mutant stood there on the welcome mat for a few seconds, tail twitching, and tried to decide if she'd just seen what she thought she saw.

With a deep breath, Taya chanced opening the door again.

"Um... hi. Did I just see you two kissing while covered in paint?"

[Antonio Fernandez]

He was surprised, but not that surprised, that she wasn't upset. When she pulled him in for a second, much less tentative kiss he was trying to figure out how to gallantly suggest they take a shower to clean up (they could both fit, even with her wings?) when the door opened with Taya's cheerful greeting.

They separated like naughty school children, Antonio cursing his luck and all the interruptions, and Taya stuck her head in again. He waved, letting Riley answer her roommate however she wanted to.

[Riley Grace]

"Awww..."

Riley murmured softly, biting her lower lip as they pulled apart. She adored her roommate, but today...she wished the feline had stayed out for a good while longer.

She found a sheepish smile as the door opened again, her eyes lingering on Antonio before meeting Taya's gaze. "Hi yourself! Umm yeah...you did see that. We...sort of had an accident with the paint. Genius over here dumped a can over my head and splashed himself in the process..."

Tilting her head, she pointed to the one complete wall, and the mess that had dripped all over, thankfully, only the drop-cloths. "That wall's done. Just the others left to do in the lighter color. We were going to...have...lunch after we...cleaned up. Pizza just got here, in fact."

Well, that could have sounded better. Gray eyes sought out Antonio's for a moment, before she spoke again. "Right...'Tonio, I've got a UCLA shirt you can borrow until that one's washed and dried. It's on my bed if you wanna go use my bathroom to clean up. I'm going to have to take a hot shower to get the paint out of my feathers, so you may as well go first."

[Taya Robbins]

One of the less-obvious effects of Taya's mutation was that her eyes were very easily distracted. Of course, it was very possible she would have found Antonio's shirtless torso distracting anyway. Her tail lashed up a storm, beating against one ankle and then the other, all completely beyond her conscious control. As if the smell of paint wasn't clouding up her mind enough.

"I could, um... You know, I could just..." She hooked a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the stairs, her ears blushing furiously.

[Antonio Fernandez]

Antonio looked from Riley to Taya, and shook his head at them both. "No, no, I'm already in my grubby clothes, and most of the paint got on you. So you shower, I'll just start on the other walls. And you -" he pointed at Taya, "Your apartment. Plus I need help with this second color."

He winked at the fluffy mutant, then bent down and picked up his shirt from the drop cloth.

[Riley Grace]

"Ok, ok...I'm going. You two behave, ok?"

Grabbing one of the still-folded drop cloths, she shuffled her way through her bedroom, careful not to drip paint anywhere or brush up against anything. It covered her entire bathroom floor, a fact for which she was thankful - scrubbing paint out of grout wasn't high on her list of things to do.

Gingerly, Riley dropped her earrings in a jewelry cleaner to soak, while her lacquered hair sticks rinsed off rather easily. Her hair and feathers, however, were another matter entirely. It was taking very hot water and all of the strawberry scented shampoo to get every last bit of paint out. Would have been easier, she mused, if she'd had...help.

[Taya Robbins]

Taya stepped into the apartment a little stiffly, as if the awkwardness in the air were presenting some sort of physical resistance. She pulled the door closed behind her and delicately stepped around the slicks of paint that had spilled onto the drop cloth.

"I'd better change into some rags first," she said as she picked her way around Antonio. "Especially considering your, um... track record."

She ducked into her bedroom and quickly changed into an old 49ers T-shirt and some ragged jeans with frayed holes in the knees. She licked her paw and tried to tamp down her mop of red-gold hair into some semblance of order and then stepped back out into the living room. Mercifully, Antonio had his shirt back on.

"Okay!" she said, perhaps sounding just a little too chipper. "So, where do we get started? Oh, did you guys paint the door, too?"

[Antonio Fernandez]

The sound of the shower running on the other side of the wall was a painful reminder of a missed opportunity, but Antonio soldiered on and got the second can of paint opened and tray prepared. He was putting the used brushes in the sink and pulling the old roller off the paint roller when Taya emerged from her room. He shook his head sadly at her shirt, wiping his hands on a paper towel.

"Yeah, some fucker came all the way up here just to tag your guys'es door. Mutants go to hell in neon green." 'Tonio frowned. "We cleaned it up."

[Taya Robbins]

"Oh."

It was a stand-in response, just a little bit of verbal filler while the true response slowly dawned on her face. Eyebrows sinking, ears laying back, wide nostrils pulsing like a jungle cat winding a predator. Suddenly the apartment felt just a little less sacred, a little less secure. Taya gripped her elbows in her paws, and her claws needled at her fur.

"Is Riley all right?" she asked.

[Antonio Fernandez]

Oh great, he could've probably broken that to her a little better. Antonio mentally smacked himself, gave himself the excuse that he wasn't thinking all that clearly due to reversed blood flow, and then arranged his face into something reassuring. "She was shaken up. But I think the paint shower took her mind off it."

It would be awkward to talk about the kiss with Riley's roommate before he'd talked it over with Riley. More than awkward. Not that he really wanted to talk about it; it had just sort of happened. He fit a clean fuzzy roller onto the paint roller and gave it a spin. "Are you going to be okay too, Taya?"

[Taya Robbins]

Taya almost hadn't heard the question. Her eyes flickered up to meet Antonio's while her brain caught up.

"Yeah," she said, uncertainly at first, and then she nodded and repeated it with conviction. "Yeah. I mean, it's just paint. Now, if they tie a string of cans to my tail, there's gonna be real trouble."

She managed a smile that wasn't quite buoyant enough to lift her ears out of her hair, buy it was a start. She considered asking if she got a kiss, too... But there was such a thing as making too light of a situation, especially where Riley's feelings were concerned.

Wanting to feel useful, she crossed the apartment and grabbed the other roller. "Think we can keep the paint on the walls this time?" she asked wanly. "Paint in fur isn't any better than feathers, only I've got a lot more of it."

By the time Riley emerged from the shower, they'd carved out a sizeable chunk of the next wall in a pale yellow.

[Riley Grace]

There was a decidedly warm smile curling her lips as she got dressed (http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=46877434) and padded out onto the balcony from her bedroom. Several vigorous flaps of her wings saw loose bits of damp fluff and excess water cascading over the railing. At least now she wouldn't be dripping water all over the place, and her feathers never took long to dry.

Fingers rose and ran through her still-damp curls, gathering them up into a simple twist with a clasp. Vincent and Boris demanded her attention the moment she was done, since she was already out on the balcony and her flapping had woken them. Assuring them that all was well, Riley returned inside and smiled brightly at Antonio and Taya.

"Wow! You guys made some serious progress! And neither of you is wearing paint...well, any more paint in your case, 'Tonio."

She was thankful that they'd also done all the cutting in along the ceiling of the long wall. Riley picked up the last clean roller from the pile of supplies and joined them in finishing it.

"Alright...one wall left...then...we're done! And we can eat. Hey Taya, is the paint smell bothering you at all? I've got all the windows and doors open."

[Antonio Fernandez]

Antonio looked down at his shirt that was stiff with drying paint, and appeared shocked. "How did all that get there?!" He winked at Taya. "She started it. That's all I have to say in my defense."

[Taya Robbins]

"And I can finish it, so no funny ideas, you two," Taya replied, waggling her damp paint roller threateningly, and then she gave Riley a distinctly cat-got-canary grin. She wasn't going to embarrass her feathery roommate in front of Antonio if she could help it, but she was planning to press Riley for all the juicy details as soon as he left.

"The paint isn't too bad. I'm going to need some fresh air when we're done, but maybe we can eat on the balcony. As long as Vincent and Boris won't mind the company."

The spraypaint on the door was forgotten, and, for the moment, the three mutants were as normal as any group of friends from college could be.

[Riley Grace]

Riley's cheeks turned a bright shade of red, as she looked at Taya and then quickly averted her gaze. Oh, her roommate had her number. Gray eyes found Antonio's and lingered there, contemplating. Wondering.

Ok, wishing, too...it was a hell of a kiss. Two kisses.

Damn, she was still distracted.

She coughed and turned her back to both of them, concentrating on starting the last wall. "The balcony's fine. Boys are still awake anyway. Just...don't feed them any pepperoni again."

[Antonio Fernandez]

Antonio noticed Riley's sudden blush, but wasn't sure what sort of secret girl/roommate language had been used that had triggered it. Better stay out of it, he decided. Getting caught between two females was only good in a very specific situation that involved math. Add the women, minus the clothes, divide the legs, and multiply. He grinned. Were Taya and Riley that close?

Riley was staring at him, he realized, and so he added a wink. They would have to continue that conversation from earlier as soon as possible. "If we can't feed them pepperoni, how am I supposed to make friends with them? Should I go get a mouse or something?"

[Riley Grace]

"One mouse for each of them, just to get in real good. But you don't have to go anywhere...I have some in the fridge."

Riley replied, as she glanced over her shoulder. His wink made her smile in spite of the warmth lingering on her features. She shifted and hid behind her wings until she could compose herself, making a little haphazard progress with the painting.

[Taya Robbins]

As Riley drifted back to the painting, Taya caught a somewhat dazed expression from Antonio, who was still processing the incongruity of I have some mice in the fridge. The unbalanced look on his tanned face was beyond precious.

"If you're wondering," she said, "I like pepperoni better than mice myself. Though if you want to make friends with me, too, you could always bring coffee."

She grinned and flashed a full complement of fangs.

[Antonio Fernandez]

"Taya," he said, a wounded look on his face. "I thought we were friends." 'Tonio rolled paint forlornly onto the last remaining wall next to Riley. "I would have brought coffee had I known. How can I live without my Taya Robbins, reporter extraordinare!?"

[Riley Grace]

"Good thing I've got her favorite coffee beans in the pantry, then...you can make her coffee and bribe your way back into her good graces."

Riley grinned as she nudged Antonio with one of her wings. She gave up trying to keep herself from blushing, and simply accepted the fact that she was likely going to have rosy pink cheeks for the rest of the day.

Turning to look over her shoulder, she motioned toward the wall with her head. "Come on, T...just a little more wall."

[Taya Robbins]

Taya nearly doubled over laughing at Antonio's display of pathos. "Oh, stop. Stop. Ack, no more of the puppy dog eyes. You don't know what those do to a girl."

Or maybe he did, which, Taya thought as she looked back at her blushing roommate, was probably trouble in the making. She tried smiling her way through the verbal slip-up.

"Don't worry, we're still friends, Antonio. No bribery required."

[Antonio Fernandez]

He grinned at Taya, and turned to Riley, halting the rolling of paint as he did so. "The boss lady speaks, and I must obey." Antonio sighed dramatically and then got back to work. Soon enough the walls were finished and the painting supplies left for clean up later as the three friends divvied up the pizza on the balcony.

'Tonio sighed contentedly, kicking up his feet on the fourth chair of the girls' set. "Now I, of course, accept all sorts of bribery," he said, bringing up the previous conversation.

[Riley Grace]

She sat back in the chair, wings folded behind her as she nibbled on a slice of pepperoni pizza. Vincent and Boris sat perched just over her shoulder on the balcony railing in the late afternoon sun, becoming resigned to the fact that they were not going to have any pizza.

Riley dangled a bottle of beer in her fingers and eyed Antonio speculatively. Half a dozen things came to mind, and none of them at all fit to be voiced in polite company. Or any company, she mused, averting her gaze and dipping her head to hide her smile.

She really did need to talk to him about what had happened earlier, else she was going to drive herself crazy just contemplating it.

Tilting her head back up, she looked at 'Tonio and grinned, in an effort to dispel her racing thoughts. "You're easy to bribe. What was it you once told me? 'Gimme booze or a blonde and I'm yours'? Or was it booze and a blonde?"

[Antonio Fernandez]

"Blonde beer," he said without a pause. "I love me some fine, pale ales."

Antonio took a swig from his bottle and added, "But of course, I'm underage. State of California says I can go to war, but can't drink a beer." He pointedly took another drink. "Canada has the right idea. Maybe we should ..." His voice trailed off and he stared out at the view.

[Riley Grace]

"Yes well. Don't tell California I gave you that."

Riley polished off her pizza and took another long sip of her beer. Tilting her head, she gazed at Vincent and Boris, then out at the view.

"We'd have to take my car. My wings wouldn't fit in Taya's. Or on an airplane."

[Antonio Fernandez]

He laughed, "You could just fly yourself there. Anyway, I don't have a passport. It's one of those things though. Don't like what the government is doing? Move to Canada. I guess Mexico is closer though, but I hear the treatment of mutants is even worse down there.

"But yeah. Canada. No registration looming there." He finished his beer and reached for another slice of pizza.

[Riley Grace]

"I could. But I'd be too tired to have any fun when I got there."

Riley grinned back and shook her head, polishing off her beer in short order as she reached for another.

Her smile faltered slightly at his mention of the registration. She sighed and flicked the top off the fresh beer in irritation, tossing it over the balcony which prompted Boris to go diving for the shiny toy.

"It's going to make things messy in LA." Riley muttered.