Joel
June waved their hand around to clear the remaining sparkle dust from the disappearance of their clone. They seemed to vanish with the movement, as if they weren't there in the first place. June was always excited to show people their illusion magic but when they looked over at Mel, all she was doing was staring.

Taking a second to process this, June wondered if, like Owen, Mel was scared of them. She didn't look particularly afraid, if anything just blank. June's mouth formed into a concentrated look. Just as quickly as it came, it was gone and Mel laughed. June felt something buzz against their otherwise happy thoughts. *Was it not as cool as they had thought?* June shook their head almost comically. Mel *Said* It was cool, who were they to judge whether she meant it or not.

"Thank you, thank you." June playfully put their hand to their chest dramatically as they spoke before laughing and returning it comfortably to their side. "Ah yes, right, lets grab them and head up to your dorm." June gave a smile in Mel's direction, a genuine one. They were excited to spend time with her and couldn't be happier.

"Lead the way!" They chirped, their arm flourishing outwards towards the kitchen exit. June couldn't deny their intrigue and interest in what was in Mel's dorm. June's dorm felt empty at times despite having a roommate, all they could hope was that Mel's didn't feel that way.

Why would it? Mel always lit up every room she was in. Junes mind chattered with thoughts of a similar sort as they waited for Mel to start leaving.
Andrew
Mel gave June a quick nod and a smile, and quickly snatched up the tray of cookies. Or tried to. She burned herself on the hot metal a little the first time. After she'd gotten herself a pair of oven mitts to hold it with, though, she snatched it up and took off down the halls.

Still, the experience of seeing that, that... Whatever it was, of looking into its eyes... It was sticking with her, in a corner of her mind she desperately wished wasn't there. For the rest of the way to Mel's room, she was stuck in her head, and her smile wasn't there in the same way it usually was. Somehow, not even the prospect of eating the cookies on the plate in front of her together with June was cheering her up.

As they reached the door, she held onto the tray with one hand and fetched her keycard with the other, unlocking it without a word.

Mel's dorm was certainly colorful, but it was a very orderly kind of colorful that was very much unlike her. DVDs and VHS tapes were ordered neatly in a bookcase, perfectly level posters lined the walls, and she had even managed to keep a *Glass coffee table* In one piece, standing in between an old TV and a western-style futon folded into a sofa. It was the kind of room that felt only half lived-in - had the posters been framed rather than taped onto the walls, it might have passed for a cheap motel room.

Mel placed the tray of cookies on the coffee table and waited for June to close the door behind them before saying anything.

...

"Hey, um... June? I think I need a hug."
Joel
June followed behind Mel, not taking the time to notice anything out of the blue. They laughed a little at Mel burning her hand, and warned her to be careful but other than that June sat in comfortable silence bouncing along behind her. They pulled their hair out of a pony tail, wrapping the band around their wrist. Then undid their apron and swung it over their arm, holding it tight to their chest. 

Dark eyes scanned the hallways as the two walked, June was fine with the lack of conversation. Normally the absence of laughter would make them uneasy but for some reason June didn't mind. Maybe it was her company. June couldn't tell, but they weren't complaining. Their heavy feet hit the ground like bricks, but June was used to such feelings. 

When the door opened to Mel's dorm June gasped a little in excitement. June was right, it felt so lively and colourful. They loved it already, it felt like Mel. Excitement and almost nostalgia fluttered away in their chest like a swarm of untamed butterflies. They let their eyes hit every corner, every poster. It was so *Different* But so wonderful.

June slid off their shoes to reveal colourful socks and tucked them neatly beside the door frame. They let their free hand press the door shut with a click, and they rested their apron on top of their giant platform shoes. June's height noticeably decreased, and they were back to their normal 6'1 frame. 

A soft smile sat on their features, but it was quickly taken over by concern when Mel spoke.

"Of course... Is something wrong?" June walked slowly over to the other, their words quiet and thoughtful. It was a stark difference from June's normal loud and excited demeanour but it wasn't fake. It was far from fake. Whatever feeling this was June knew it was genuine.
_ _

June stood in front of Mel and looked down at her, meeting her gaze once more. Junes expression was curious, concerned and of all things *Soft.* The height difference between the two was so much less stark when June wasn't in their shoes.
Andrew
Mel gave a soft nod, but didn't say anything before wrapping her arms around June in a soft, heavy hug. She cloaked herself in June's body heat, a warm, comforting blanket of ecstasy and touch, and for a few moments, that alone was enough. She didn't think about anything then. It seemed like too much distracting effort to bother. In that moment, she was happy, in the truest sense of the word. A joyous, uncomplicated smile crossed her lips. Everything was going to be okay.

Then the feeling came back.

*Maybe if she just kept hugging tighter,* She thought, *All her problems would go away and she could be together with June forever and never ever have to think stupid thoughts again and-*

She stopped herself and sighed before she managed to crush June's ribs. She probably could've, if she tried. "I... I dunno what's wrong, Ju. I just feel weird and stupid and bad." She tightened the hug one final time, then gently pulled away from June. "Can we do something else for a while? I don't really wanna think about it too much."
Joel
June was somewhat caught off guard by the hug, but with the height difference between them a lot smaller it felt natural. Without a second thought, they moved their arms to wrap solidly around Mel's shoulders, pulling her into their chest. June felt safe here. Holding her close, made all of their worries melt away like soft summer rain. All they could hope is Mel felt the same. 

"It'll be okay." June spoke in a soft, gentle reassurance. They rested their head on top of Mel's as they hugged. The two of them hadn't been friends for long, but the time they spent together felt like weeks and years simultaneously. The same rush of excitement whenever June saw Mel ceased to fade, but June felt so comfortable here. Their arms remained tight around the other. 

As Mel spoke June listened. They felt empathy for her, and wished they could make her problems disappear with millions of hugs. June knew that wasn't possible, as much as they wanted her to be okay. 

"Its okay to not know sometimes." June looked down at Mel when she pulled away. Their hands lingered on her shoulders for a moment longer, almost reluctant to let go. "Im always here to hug you when you need it okay? Maybe we can try and figure it out together." Their voice was still soft. Their words felt like their hugs, soft yet solid. June was there and it was obvious they didn't want to leave anytime soon. 

Giving Mel a soft smile, June looked over at the TV that was set up. 

"How about we watch a movie?" Their voice lightened back up into a happier tone, but was still soft. "Got any favourites?"
Andrew
"Thanks." Mel nodded. "Yeah. Let's figure it out together. Thanks." 

Mel was a person who functioned in extremes. When she wasn't loud and brash and happy-go-lucky, she was intensely private, orderly, and quiet. The transition was apparent, instant, once the door closed - what had been an excitably loud Mel had turned into a quiet girl silently crying into a friend's arms in the middle of her exquisitely tidy room.

This was really Mel, too.

She gently drifted over to her shelves, poring over row after row of VHS tapes and DVDs. She didn't wanna think too much about the movie. She wanted something easy, lightweight, something fun.

She grabbed *The Rescuers* On VHS, slotted the tape into her VCR, and dropped onto the futon. Maybe the night could be salvaged after all. She hadn't even tried a cookie yet - and she still had plenty of hours left with her favorite person in the whole world. Nothing could possibly ruin it.

It'll be okay.
Joel
"Of course, anytime really. Just give me a call when you need me." They smiled to end their sentence. 

June stayed in the same spot, and let their eyes wander around Mels room once more. It was cleaner than they had expected, but it still felt like Mels room. They nodded to themselves and smiled a little, feeling jittery over the sudden happy feelings that pulsed through their skin. A part of them wondered if they *Should* Be happy right now, but figured the positive vibes were contagious for sure! 

After looking back over at Mel, June decided that they were going to try to cheer her up. They had cookies, movies, all the time in the world and each other. What else could possibly be better?

"Oh! Ive never seen that one." June peeked over Mels shoulder excitedly at her movie collection. Frankly, June hadn't seen a majority of these. Growing up between Canada and Japan clearly had its affects.

June straightened back up and walked over to the tray of cookies. They looked like a slightly burnt sugar mess but June had faith. They pulled one off the tray, and popped half of the rather large cookie into their mouth. The overly sweet flavours nearly made them sick on the first bite, but June was used to the overload.

"Wow these are actually kinda good! Im sure it's because we made them together!" June exclaimed in their cherry-picked tone after they finished chewing. "You should try one!" 

Mel was sat down on her futon, and June quickly joined her. Frankly, sitting a little closer than they had aimed for. They wondered if that was bad, or maybe they shouldn't sit here. No matter, the thoughts had failed to cross June's mind and left almost as quickly as they came. 

Their only thoughts were the cookies, movies and Mel.
Andrew
Mel let June take a cookie first, but swiftly followed suit, breaking a good chunk off what was less a tray of cookies and more a tray of single giant cookie. She let June try them first, too, and upon hearing a saccharine-sweet exclamation of surprise and excitement, she set her own teeth into hers.

No, it wasn't really that good.

The cookie gave way to teeth when bitten, but when chewed, it was a very different story. Caramelized gummy worms kept the desirable crumble out and added both an overpowering sweetness and strong, bitter undertones of *Burnt.* On the whole, unpleasant... But at the same time, was it? This was, in essence, a rainbow-colored caramel cookie, and it wasn't like Mel *Didn't* Ask for three shots of caramel in her macchiato.

She didn't comment on the taste, but she let a gentle smile take shape on her face as she leaned across to the coffee table and broke off another bite. No one but Mel and June would've liked this. This way, no one would want to steal their cookies.

Mel leaned back on the futon for a brief moment. Then, as if reading their mind, she leaned against June instead. That seemed right, but more importantly, it felt nice.

The bad thoughts and feelings weren't gone. But there were cookies and movies and Juneies and everything seemed just a little more okay now. The discomfort Mel had felt earlier had gone from consuming everything to acting as a simple house fly, providing a minor distraction easily dismissed with a wave of the hand. 

So she could focus on the things that *Really* Mattered.
Joel
June watched Mel as she took a bite, and almost immediately bursted into laugher. 

"They are... *Interesting*, are they?" June covered their mouth and laughed more. "Thats alright, more for us!" The soft giggles and happy jitters remained fluttering throughout Junes mind. They realized right then and there that they couldn't be happier. 

They had finally made a proper friend, one they could trust. The two of them sat beside each other, smiling, as the movie continued. Just then, the sudden weight of Mel leaning into June sent a shock of electricity through their stomach. Powdered sugar sweetness and glitter dusted its way through their emotions, and they swore they almost felt their cheeks warm. The feeling crept its way back down into their core quickly, and June decided to dismiss whatever they just felt. 

June let the buzz of the movie continue as the two of them sat, pressed into each other eating the cookies. It was everything June could ever ask for. A perfect friend. June knew that no matter what, Mel would always be their favourite.

They were comfortable in the others presence. It was simple and sweet. Even when bad things popped up, and negative thoughts took hold, they always found a way to make the best of the night. They could sit in each others arms until the other felt better, and watch movies until dawn. 

They seemed to fit together like a puzzle and June couldn't wait to see where this would lead them.