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"Ko?" Pixel's voice was quiet and slightly shaking as it wound through Ko's door.
Ko whipped her head around and stumbled at the sudden noise. She'd been so focused on her workout that everything else had faded except her thoughts and the burn in her muscles that reminded her she was still there. Yellow lamplight turned her skin the same shade as Pixel's -- except the usually glowing lime of Pixel's skin was now a liquid white on her face, with darkened eyes, a mouth sticking out through a hole in the whiteness --
Oh, it's just a face mask. "Holy shit Pix, you scared the fuck outta me."
"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, I guess I just came outta the dark with a creepy white mask, that does sound pretty scary I guess." She giggled. "Can I come in...?"
"Oh! Yeah, for sure. It's pretty fucking empty though."
Ko's eyes strayed downwards to look at the small glowblin, with silk pink pyjamas that flowed of her rounded form as she scampered in. Pixel's hair bounced around in a halo of electric yellow as she climbed onto Ko's bed. Pixel flopped onto her back with her arms out and stared around the barren room with bloodshot eyes that darted around uneasily.
"You ok?" Ko asked with furrowed brows.
"Oh yeah! I just... I haven't gone this long without Glimmer for as long as I can remember. It's... it's hitting pretty hard."
"Oh." Ko switched from push-ups to sitting cross legged on the floor, still almost as tall as Pixel was. "That fucking sucks."
"Yeah. It does. But I'll get through it. I get through everything. 'Always find a reason to laugh,'" she recited half-heartedly. "That's what Mr W always told me when we were in tough times." She sat up, hugging her slightly shaking legs to her chest. "But it feels so awful. It hurts, it feels like there's a hole in my chest. I feel just so hollow."
"I..." Fuck. I don't know how to make her feel better. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be, it's got nothing to do with you. Why are you awake? It's so late. Whatcha doing?"
"I wasn't tired. Exercise makes me tired," Ko said defensively. She climbed onto the bed next to Pixel and crossed her arms, her weight pushing down the bed and making Pixel bounce up and down.
Pixel always looked small, but usually she took up space, commanded the room and brightened it with music and colour. But she looked so small now, in size and in aura. Her usually glowing skin was slightly muddied now.
"Are you ok?" Ko asked softly. "You look... not good. I mean, uh, you look good, but like, you look sick, not bad, I would never say you look bad --"
"Ko. I'm ok. Are you?" Pixel's magenta eyes turned towards Ko with furrowed brows.
"I..." Ko hesitated. "Did the guys ever tell you about what happened on Makoro?"
Pixel brightened, sitting straighter. "I love stories, tell me!"
"Trust me, this isn't a fun story. I knew someone. She's -- she was -- called Mrs Ume. And she took care of me, for a long time. And the crew arrived there after I gave them a tip --" Ko swallowed hard, throat painful with held tears. "And we fuckin', kicked a few asses, and Mrs Ume got the short end of the stick. They planted a bomb or something in the third floor, and she was just gone. Fucking vapour." She took a deep breath. "And every time I close my eyes I see the fire burned onto my fucking eyelids."
"Oh I'm so sorry Ko, that must have been awful."
"Yeah. But I'm tough. And when I get back, I'll kill every single fucking one of them so hard that that they're afraid to even look at that planet." Ko grinned fiercely and flexed her biceps.
"I can try help you take your mind off it, if you want?" Pixel offered hesitantly.
"How would you do that?"
"Well, when I'm feeling down, I like to do my makeup! Takes my mind of things."
"...you want to do my makeup."
"You're right, that was a stupid idea. I shouldn't have asked, I'll go, I shouldn't have bothered you --"
"Pix. Stay."
"I... really?"
"Yeah. Tell me what fucking, makeup shit you need to do it with and I'll get it from your room."
"Ohmygosh thank you thank you!"
"Yeah, yeah, whaddaya need?" Ko said awkwardly.
Ko listened intently as Pixel listed off what sounded like hundreds of products, staring as her skin started glowing brightly. I'd do almost anything to make her glow again. Eventually, Pixel gave up listing and told Ko to bring the pink star-shaped bag from her desk. Ko swept off and came back with a giant bag of makeup.
"We can start with blush," Pixel said. She opened the compact and dragged her brush over the packed purple powder before puffing it over Ko's cheeks. Lilac powder drifted through the air and landed on Pixel's hands. Ko sneezed, shaking her head and scrunching her nose. "Stay still," Pixel giggled.
"That's hard when you're shoving powder up my nose," Ko sniffed with a smile.
"Alright, this is highlighter," Pixel said as she held up a small compact of iridescent blue shimmer. She took a slightly smaller brush and buffed it over the powder. Light strokes across Ko's cheekbones made her entire face glow in the soft light.
"I think orange eyeshadow would look good on you." Pixel held Ko's chin, tilting her head this way and that as she painted Ko's eyelids a bright orange, with pink shimmer in the corners. Ko's breath sped up slightly. Pixel twisted her lips. "Hm, I didn't think I added that much blush. Oh well!"
"I think this lipstick would look good on you," Pixel said thoughtfully.
"That's a very bright pink Pix, I don't know. I mean, you can pull it off, but me?"
"We both have cool toned skin, it's pretty similar," Pixel reasoned as she rubbed the hot pink over her lips and smacked them together.
Pixel took a dark lip liner and pressed it to Ko's lips.
"Wha ewse ish shinilar adou ush?" Ko asked, completely unintelligible.
"Stop talkin' Ko, you're gonna mess me up! Be quiet!"
"How do you plan to make me?" Ko asked, pulling her head away from Pixel's hand and holding her hind gently.
Pixel looked at Ko with wide eyes, mouth slightly open. Her eyes darted to Ko's lips.
Ko stopped breathing.
"I have a few ways," Pixel said softly.
"What're you gonna do, kiss me?" Ko looked at Pixel with challenge in her eyes.
"Maybe I am," Pixel whispered. And then she leaned in and her lips met Ko's.
Heat rippled in Ko's chest like fireworks, and she closed her eyes to feel more of the soft skin of Pixel's lips on her own. Soft light swirled around them and caught the highlighter on Ko's cheeks, making her glow almost as bright as Pixel, who's face was awash in tides of neon blues and links in contrast to her usual greens. Ko's eyelids were red from Pixel's glow. She wrapped her arms around Ko, who brought her fingers up to Pixel's hair to card her fingers through the name of beautiful fluff. Even if she wanted to, Ko didn't think she could stand up.
Pixel broke off first. "I don't know if I can do this --" her eyes were frantic and she looked dazed, hand still on Ko's shoulder. Her breath was shallow, much too shallow.
"Hey, hey, Pix, it's ok. You don't gotta figure it out today."
"Just -- with Weedlevox, and the silence creatures, and everything --" Her eyes were glassy and darting around, never looking at Ko. Her stomach rose and fell very quickly, skin swallowed.
Ko's lips were stained with Pixel's lipstick and gloss, messy pink and glitter smeared. "That's ok. Take as long as you need. Life is hard. Shit sucks."
She held her hand on Pixel's chest until her ragged breathing slowed. "And I'll be there for however long it takes."
"Maybe... maybe just for tonight, you can take myind off it."
"However many nights you need." Ko lay down with Pixel's head on her chest.
Pixel's eyes fluttered, and she fell fast asleep on Ko's chest.
Ko held the pocket mirror over her face.
Pixel was right.
This lipstick does look good on us.