The blonde girl pushed through the shrubbery, looking forward to a day of relaxing. She had given her favourite bird, Wrench, a chance to visit his family, which also gave her a little less responsibility for a while. However, she still donned her leather glove, feeling odd without it.

"Hey Sky!" A harmonic voice sang from in front of her. The local half-genie hero, and longtime childhood friend, sat upon a red and white checkered blanket, the sight finished with a picnic basket on top. Her rich, purple hair flowing gently behind Shantae as she waved at the birdkeeper.

Sky sighed and broke into a smile, making her way towards the blanket.

"I was sure I was going to beat you here this time," she said, sitting across from her friend.

"Ha, good luck with that! I'd get here before you could even open your door," Shantae teased, leaning forward to embrace Sky. The blonde returned the gesture, feeling content in her best friend's arms. She had always considered Shantae her closest friend, often excitedly telling her about her current relationship or moaning about not finding any decent men. Shantae would always sit and listen, even though she had a hard time relating to Sky's situation. Sky was always thankful for it.

Yet, ever since Shantae's victory against the Pirate Master, with the help of the nefarious Risky Boots, Sky hadn't found anyone worthy enough of spending special time with.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. There had always been one, far before Sky started dating – even before she opened up her own aviary. But they weren't male, and Sky didn't really think she herself leaned that way. It had to have been a phase, surely.

"Uh, Sky. Can you let go now? Please?"

Sky snapped out of her mini trance, quickly letting go of her friend with a sheepish smile. It wasn't a phase. It definitely wasn't a phase. Sky liked to think of herself as straight, but the exception was right in front of her. The blonde loved everything from the genie's purple hair, from her mocha skin to her aqua eyes. She had a bubbly and happy personality, yet the courage to stand up to those who threatened her town and her friends, and—

"Sky!"

Sky snapped out of her second trance. Shantae was frowning at her, arms crossed with some of her fringe over her eyes.

"You're just staring at me. It's creepy," the genie said.

"Uh… I can explain?" Sky offered, hoping she hadn't been caught out. It would be beyond embarrassing.

"Or, you can relax. You're overthinking again, I can see it. Just let go of all your worries for now," Shantae smiled, opening the basket. "You don't need to worry about anything when you're with me. You deserve some down time."

Sky smiled back, taking the packet Shantae was holding out for her, brushing lightly against her fingers.

"I think we both do, Shantae, with you being the all mighty heroine of Scuttle Town again," she replied, opening the packet to find her favourite sweets inside.

"Yeah, well, you can thank me by letting your hair down and taking a break with me. Bonus points if you actually let your hair down," Shantae said slyly, watching Sky for a reaction.

"Not happening."

"Aww."

The two fell into a comfortable silence, broken only by the rustle of one or the other rummaging through the basket. Each of them were lost in their own world, reflecting or thinking about anything and everything. Subconsciously, the two were moving closer together every time they took from the basket, until at eventually they were leaning against each other.

Sky's thoughts were all on Shantae. Growing up, they did everything together. They knew each other inside and out, even to their darkest secrets. (Sky refused to believe that Shantae had killed a dog, and believed her even less when she said that gems came exploding out of it.) But as they grew up, they had become slightly distant, with Sky maturing quickly and entering adult life, while Shantae was busy being a hero and keeping her somewhat childish ways. Sky was disappointed in herself that it had taken attacks on Scuttle Town to bring them back together.

She knew she loved the genie much more than a friend, but was never brave enough to act on it, fearing judgement for not being into a boy. She knew Shantae would never judge her, but the awkwardness that would follow for a long time made it seem not worth it.

"Something on your mind, Sky?" The younger girl asked. Sky looked at her, seeing a worried look on the genie's face.

"No, nothing. I'm just…" Sky felt hot, hoping her friend wouldn't notice anything amiss. "…just thinking."

"What did I say about relaxing, bird brain?" Shantae sighed.

"I know, I know… It's just… everything that's happened lately. Don't worry about it, okay? I'll be fine in a bit," the blonde said, making an excuse.

"If you say so. Just let me know if I can help." The genie returned to leaning her head on Sky's shoulder, while the older girl thought about admitting her definitely-not-a-phase crush on the girl beside her. Shantae would never judge – she was practically friends with her own enemies. Sky made her mind up. It was worth a shot. Honestly, she knew she had loved the girl for a long time. Whether she got rejected or not, it would put her mind at ease and she would be able to focus on more important stuff, like Wrench's new diet which involved salted caramel. But how would the bird trainer seduce the genie? Sky smiled, thinking of an idea that she had considered for a while, but not for this particular goal.

"Can you teach me to dance?" Sky asked.

"What? Why would you want to dance?" Shantae replied, surprised by Sky's sudden interest.

"Because. I want to."

"Oh really? Is there some boy you're trying to impress again?" Shantae teased, cocking her head slightly.

"No. No boys this time," Sky chuckled. "There's no boys I like at the moment."

"So you're into girls now?" Shantae teased.

"What!? N-no, no, I'm not into girls, you know that!" Sky stuttered, her face turning red. Did Shantae know? The girl burst into laughter.

"I'm just kidding, Sky, relax. It's a shame, really, I know a girl who's interested in you."

"Rottytops doesn't hide anything well, let alone the fact that she likes me," Sky said, really hoping that the energetic zombie was the girl Shantae was referring to. Deep down, though, she was hoping for Shantae to say it was her.

"Yeah, she really doesn't," Shantae giggled, "but then again, she acts flirty all the time, with everyone, so maybe she's just being friendly with you. Anyway, of course I can teach you to dance, so when a boy does come along, you can knock him off his feet."

Sky grinned as Shantae stood up and walked to a clear space, away from the blanket. She beckoned Sky over with a smile, who was too happy to comply.

"First," Shantae said, "we get rid of this." She grabbed Sky's arm, took off her glove, and tossed it back on the blanket. Sky held up her bare hand, staring at it oddly.

"Never seen your own hand before?" Shantae teased with a cheeky smirk. Sky smirked right back, lightly punching her friend's shoulder.

"More like I wear it so much I feel strange when I don't have it on. I feel naked without it." Sky didn't miss the slight flushing of Shantae's cheeks as the shorter girl glanced away. She took it as just awkward embarrassment, rather than a hint to something more.

"Yeah, I feel the same when I take my armbands off. Anyway, do you want to try dancing or just watch me for a bit?"

"Watch you," Sky answered straight away, the speed of her answer shocking herself. She may have seemed too eager about watching the way Shantae fluently moved herself around, the way she stretched herself out, the flick of her hips… Sky blushed at the last thought.

"Well, uh… okay then. Just sit here." Shantae walked a few steps away to another open patch of grass and prepared herself. She wouldn't admit it, but she was slightly self-conscious knowing she was being watched specifically by Sky, and only Sky. Yes, she danced whenever, wherever, in front of anyone, with no shame or embarrassment, but this time felt a bit more personal. She took a deep breath and began to dance like she usually did, flicking her hips and raising her arms, twirling on the spot. She did this for a few minutes, completely forgetting she was actually supposed to instruct Sky on what to do as she did it.

"Shantae," the blonde called out. The dancing genie snapped out of her rhythm and looked at her friend in confusion, with a hint of embarrassment on her face, keeping her arms suspended and her hips mid-flick. She was in quite an interesting, and to Sky, beautiful pose.

"You know I'll never be able to dance like that, right?" Sky asked rhetorically. Shantae had been practicing for years to have as much experience as she had today. "I was thinking a more… basic dance."

"Uh… like?" The genie dropped her pose and held her arm behind her back awkwardly. Sky smiled gently at the purple-haired beauty.

"Something simple. For two, preferably. There's no way I'm ever going to dance alone in front of someone I like. I'm not as brave as you," Sky said, bringing a small smile to her friend's lips.

"I, um…" Shantae paused, dropping the smile. "I only know exotic genie dances and the ones I make up. And Scuttle Town's cultural ones. I don't know how to… 'normal' dance," she explained sheepishly, pressing her fingers together. "I've only ever seen them at the theatres, with you."

It was true, Sky realised. She had only ever seen Shantae dance exotically, learned from her old dancing hall to the dances she had created herself for transformation. It had opened up another opportunity.

"Well then," Sky began, standing up and walking over to the genie, "we can learn together!" She grabbed Shantae's hands and got into position, holding one hand up and the other to the side. Shantae struggled in her grip and snatched her hands back, taking a step back with a worried look.

"Sky, are you alright? Is not having Wrench around making you really touchy or something?"

"Look," Sky huffed, "it's been a long time since I've been able to actually spend time with you personally, can you really blame me for being a little bit excited about today?"

Shantae eyed the girl, processing Sky's actions. Maybe she was going a little bit crazy without a boy to be around, or at least talk about. Shantae shrugged it off. She'd have to be the one to keep Sky happy until that happened.

"Fine. Just, can you calm down? Please? It's weirding me out." The genie sighed. "If you want to do those types of dances, I'll have to re-watch them. They don't seem too hard to learn."

Sky's expression lit up, clapping her hands together. "We could watch them tonight, together," the bird trainer suggested. "Your uncle gave me a machine to play movies on. I think he called it a 'projector.' Same thing they use at the theatres apparently, but smaller scale." Shantae grinned at being able to spend more time with her bestie, crushing her in a tight hug.

"It's a date, Sky! I'll come around at sunset," Shantae said with glee. Suddenly, her face dropped into horror as she realised something. "I have to go, I forgot to feed Poe's Hamster! Can you pack up, please, please, pleaaase?" she begged, practically running on the spot. Sky giggled, the Shantae's childlikeness always something she found adorable.

"Of course, I'll give the basket to you tonight."

"Thank you so much Sky!" the genie said, giving her friend one more hug before running off towards the town.

"You know, you could just transform and fly there or something!" Sky yelled after her, but she was already out of earshot. The blonde shook her head in amusement, fitting on her glove.

'It's a date!'

Sky smiled to herself. She knew it wasn't meant in a romantic way, but it made her feel happy and lightheaded all the same. If only the genie knew.

Sky opened the door to her red-clad friend, who looked at her inquisitively.

"Those are your old clothes," Shantae pointed out.

"Next you'll be telling me the sky is blue," Sky giggled. Shantae smiled.

"But you're not blue."

"Ha, ha. Very funny. Get in already, shorty," Sky smirked, letting the genie in. She directed her to her darkened living room, where the projector was set up with a few reels, ready to go. Wrench was busy raiding the popcorn bowl.

"Wrench, hey, no! That's for us!" Sky shouted, waving the bird away. He flew up to his perch on the ceiling, out of Sky's reach. "That's right, you stay up there and hide. I swear, you're worse than Rotty sometimes." Shantae giggled behind the frustrated trainer.

"I didn't expect Wrench to come back so soon. And you still haven't told me why you're wearing your old clothes."

"Look outside, Shantae, think. Its sunset, and these are my pyjamas," the blonde snapped back, looking at what remained in the bowl. Nearly nothing. She groaned. "Sorry, Shae, it was the last bag. I had saved it for something like this. Serves me right for being stingy and not buying another." She felt a hug from behind, blushing at the close contact and the position of her friend's hands. She'd been hugged like this by Shantae so many times before, why was she flustered now? Maybe the clothes. Or the atmosphere.

"It's okay, you big bird-brain," Shantae reassured, "I'll grab some from my house. Just wait here." Before Sky could even turn around, Shantae had performed her Warp Dance and had disappeared in a puff of smoke. The blonde shook her head, moving over to Wrench. The genie had a habit of making a decision and going through with it before actually getting any sort of response.

"You're such a little trouble-maker. You're lucky I love you," she murmured to Wrench, nuzzling the bird affectionately. Sky so wished it was Shantae she was nuzzling. Even Wrench could notice the body language in Sky change slowly. He cawed in curiosity, to see if Sky would admit, but another puff of smoke distracted both of them.

The smoke dissipated to reveal the tanned girl in her own jammies, her hair let down all the way to her ankles, a grin on her face. She carried two bags, holding one out to Sky. The birdkeeper took it, spying Shantae's normal clothes in the other bag.

"Sleepover?" she questioned, an eyebrow raised while she opened the bag of popcorn kernels.

"Sleepover!" Shantae squealed with glee, her arms in the air. Sky rolled her eyes, but had a smile on her face as she went to cook the popcorn.

"You could've asked first, you know." She poured the popcorn into a pot above a small fire and turned around to face her friend while they cooked.

"You would've said 'yes' anyway," Shantae said, sticking her tongue out at the older girl. Sky smiled.

"Well, it's still polite to ask people, Shantae," she lectured, as the popping increased.

"Look at you, so mature and well-mannered," the genie responded sarcastically, albeit with a huge grin on her face. Sky found it adorable, but couldn't help thinking how different Shantae looked with her hair down.

"Oh, hush," she replied, taking the popcorn off the fire and pouring it into the near-empty bowl. "Let's watch the movie before your mouth falls off from mockery."

"Mockery? Why, Sky, I can't believe that you would accuse me, your best friend, of something as rude as mockery. Are you sure you haven't eaten a bad egg?" Shantae said, feigning fake hurt and dramatizing her actions. Sky deadpanned her.

"Just shut up and sit down."

"Okay!" The genie dived onto the couch headfirst and patted next to her, inviting Sky to sit. The blonde exhaled humourously. Shantae was so cute. Maybe she should kiss her cheek halfway through the movie? No. It'd be better to do it while they danced. It would feel more… fitting.

Sky blushed a little, busying herself with inserting the movie into the projector so Shantae wouldn't see her red face. Finishing that, she sat next to her friend, putting an arm around her in a friendly way, as she always did when watching a movie with the girl. However, it felt a little bit more intimate with both of them being in pyjamas, which was ironic, considering the jammies that Shantae wore covered more of her than her normal outfit. Maybe because it was a thinner material. Her eyes wandered to the genie's chest, seeing that the material was indeed thinner, yet just enough to not be transparent. Sky blushed furiously, trying to think of something else more appropriate than perving on her own friend. Shantae herself kept herself content eating popcorn.

"Just don't eat all the popcorn this time, Shae. You left me nothing last time."

"Your fault for not eating it fast enough."

"Shant-"

"Yeah, yeah, calm down, blondie. I'll leave you some."

Sky ruffled Shantae's hair in response, throwing some popcorn in her mouth. She couldn't get her mind off her friend's chest though, as covered as it was. Hopefully once the movie actually got past the intro she could forget. Deciding to take one last look at Wrench, perched up near the ceiling, she couldn't help but notice the look he gave her.

He saw.

Sky narrowed her eyes at him, transmitting a clear message.

Don't you dare give me away, or you're in massive trouble.

Wrench just rolled his eyes and began preening, just as the intro finally finished. Finally, she could study some dancing and take her mind off her younger friend.

The credits began to roll and Sky was all too awake. She had devoted most of her attention to the dance scenes, and the dances themselves, a 'waltz,' trying to remember as much as she could. She replayed everything in her head, not noticing the genie sleeping against her shoulder.

"Let's dance, Shantae!" she announced, leaping up off the couch and sending the aforementioned girl flying across the room with a crash. Sky winced. "Oops. Uh, sorry."

Shantae shook her head to regain focus, the rough landing enough to wake her up. She was in the middle of a good dream. One that involved some quality bento boxes. She shakily stood up, the world slightly spinning.

"That's one way of waking someone up. I sure wouldn't want to kick you in the middle of the night."

"Oh, come on. It wasn't on purpose! Now, get over here so we can dance," the blonde beckoned. Shantae stared at her in mild confusion.

"You seem to be very excited about dancing with me," the genie commented, walking over. "Something you wanna tell me?"

"What? N-no! I-I-"

Shantae giggled. "Calm down, bird-brain, I'm just teasing you. Now, I fell asleep during the movie, so you're taking the lead." Sky deadpanned her for the second time that night.

"Fine," she sighed, "just don't fall asleep on me halfway through, alright?"

"No promises," the genie grinned cheekily. Sky grinned back. "But, we'll need some fitting music. I'm sure you don't want to dance to my tastes, so you got anything?"

Sky nodded, quickly turning on her music box, switching a disc in the process. A guitar riff screeched loudly out of the box, surprising both girls, Sky fumbling to turn it off.

"What in the world was that, Sky? I thought you liked jazz," Shantae said, her pointed ears ringing.

"Rottytops' music. I let her borrow it sometimes and she leaves her music here too." Sky quickly got the right disc out, inserting it into the slot, happy that a jazz different to her normal type began to play. She'd have to speak to Rotty about storing the right discs in the right sleeves. Then she thought about all the innuendoes the zombie could think up with just that prompt. Maybe it wasn't worth it.

"Now come here," Sky commanded, Shantae quickly following her orders.

"Okay, so, put this hand here, and your arm like this…"

What followed was a dance of two people who had no idea of what they were quite doing, but having fun anyway. Nobody said you had to follow the rulebook to the letter, after all. Sky and Shantae certainly didn't. They stepped on each other's feet, knocked heads and accidentally held the wrong parts, yet they continued on until they started to get the hang of it. They shared stories during their dance, connecting with each again as if they were back in school, excitedly running to each other's house to make the best volcano project, to show off their cooking skills, or to learn how to take care of birds. Except now, they talked about cute boys, heroic adventures, and the reality of living alone.

"I'll be fine, shorty," Sky said with a smile as she twirled Shantae around, receiving a giggle from the genie. "Boys practically line up to date me. I won't be alone forever."

"Then why don't you choose one of them?" Shantae placed her hand on the small of Sky's back, holding her other arm in the air. Sky blushed. Perhaps now was the best time.

"None of them meet my standards. Besides, I've already chosen who I want to be with the most." Sky inwardly kicked herself for saying that. She had to do it – there was no backing out now.

"And who might that be? Bolo?" The genie questioned further, oblivious to Sky's predicament.

Well this was it. Now or never.

Rather than answer, Sky gently pulled her friend closer to her, closing her eyes lowering her head to meet Shantae's lips. She pressed against them gently, testing what reaction she would get, before being pulled deeper into the kiss by Shantae herself. They stood there, losing themselves in their kiss. Sky cracked open her eyes in surprise when she felt a tongue run against her lips, to be greeted by the half-open, hopeful eyes of the shorter girl. She opened her mouth to let Shantae in, exploring the body of the dancer with her hands.

After a few minutes, the two had to break away to breathe. Both red-faced and hot, they were surprised to see they had made it back onto the couch, with the dancer sitting in the lap of the bird trainer.

"How… how long?" The question came in between deep breaths from the tanned girl, resting her head on Sky's shoulder to recuperate.

"I don't know… I used to have a crush on you when we were younger but I was adamant that it was only a phase. I only really made my mind up this afternoon," Sky explained, enjoying the tickly feeling of Shantae breathing against her neck. She slid her hands down to the wide hips of the younger girl, slight jealousy arising within her. Shantae's hands reached round and grabbed them, holding them tightly in front of her as she sat back up.

"What about boys?"

"They're not there for me as much as you are."

"Your parents?"

"They won't mind."

"Rottytops?"

"She can deal with it."

"So we're girlfriends?"

Sky laughed and gave Shantae a quick kiss on the lips.

"Yes," she said, "as long as you're fine with it." Shantae smirked.

"I'm pretty sure you would've found that out the hard way at the start. I'm glad you did it though, so I didn't have to."

"Wait—" Sky was quickly cut off by the genie's lips crashing back down onto hers, lightly biting her bottom lip. The trainer couldn't help but moan, wriggling her hands out of Shantae's and placing them back at her hips. Shantae pulled the trademark hood of the blonde off, before unwrapping her bandana and releasing Sky's golden locks, falling gracefully over her face.

"I don't know why you keep such beautiful hair hidden away," Shantae remarked as they separated again.

"Truthfully, the constant sun would ruin it before long. It also makes moments like these better, right?" Sky smiled tapping Shantae playfully on the nose.

"That's why you get shampoo like mine. Don't see my hair ruined, do you?" Sky shook her head, moving in for another kiss. She could very much get used to this. "Oh, and to answer your question that was cut off by something far more important – I liked you when I was younger too, but I thought that you would say no because you always did what was socially and morally right, and what was right was that girls only dated boys. So I moved on."

Sky paused halfway to her destination. She knew Shantae had always thought of her as a role model, which meant that she had indirectly lead Shantae on the wrong mindset. But again, she had also used that mindset to hide what she had truly felt from the one she trusted the most. Sky sighed.

"A bad role model, that's what I am. Sorry. But, hey, we're past that now right? Now you know a little about me that you… never… knew," she said, kissing Shantae in different spots on her face between each word. The genie cooed when Sky kissed her ear – they had always been sensitive spots.

"Well, since this is a sleepover, I guess I'm not sleeping in the guest room tonight?" Shantae asked, more or less already having decided what she was doing whether Sky liked it or not.

"Are you implying that we… do that?" Sky gasped. Shantae slyly smirked back.

"Not as innocent pure as you think I am, aren't I? Now you know a little more about me. Now let's go! I've been wanting this for ages!"

Sky stood up, lifting Shantae with her. The genie crossed her legs around Sky's waist as they engaged in more kissing, moaning and squealing with pleasure and glee. She made her way to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her as she placed Shantae on the bed and proceeded to crawl over her excited girlfriend, aiming to give her the best night of both of their lives.

Back in the living room, Wrench eyed the door leading to Sky's bedroom. When further noise came from it, he quickly swooped down to the ground, raiding the popcorn bowl again.

No point wasting good food.