It was like a quiet game just between them and yet was so much more; it held the world in it in waves.
Rose sighed, intertwining their fingers, pressed forward, curious.
"So you really want to know? All that about me?" Juleka smiled as she pressed closer too.
"Yeah, your favorite color is blue, right?" Rose smiled, biting back a giggle.
"It's one of them, yes." She smiled back at her, "I also really like the colors purple and black."
Rose smiled widely, "Mine's pink like the clouds on some mornings when the rising sun hits them just right."
Juleka smiled as she gingerly ran her hand through short, blond hair.
"What's your greatest hope?" Rose asked, turning around to face her.
"That everyone that I'm close to will accept me for who I really am." Juleka answered with a kind of nervous ease.
"Who are you really?" The question was inevitable really though it wasn't rude or confused, having a best friend that you really, really, really like makes it much more easy to ask the important questions kindly.
"Well," Juleka's eyes danced away, nervous, "I'm kind of gay or well not really. I like girls a lot, and I'm a little insecure sometimes." Juleka was half afraid that her best friend would lean away from her now, put distance between them.
"That's fine." Rose smiled, letting their hands stay intertwined, and tightening her grip to reassure her.
"I'm unsure of my place around others, but I love to catch the moments just right that I often feel like I can never have: like just beautiful pictures where people are obviously the highlight or gorgeous couple pictures, really." Juleka felt like she couldn't stop talking now, couldn't stop admitting all this and more.
"You deserve a wonderful girlfriend, Juleka." Rose smiled, "Don't let yourself down."
"Probably not the one that makes me feel alive, as if that's all right at my fingertips." Juleka added with nervous ease.
"You definitely deserve her." Rose smiled.
Juleka nodded, trying to let that sink in before she turned away from her, and watched the wall, the gentle rise and fall of pain that twisted and bent from whenever someone had actually painted it.
"You know I'm bisexual." Rose shrugged, "I've just never told anyone."
Juleka turned to her in a flurry, "You are? Why are you telling me this now?"
"I just wanted to let you know." Rose shrugged with a small, soft smile, "What's your greatest fear?"
"That I'm not good enough or that everyone will leave in time." Juleka shrugged, hating the bitter edge of being honest about this, "I worry that I'll mess up really, really badly, and I'll just lose everyone. I guess I'm still kind of shaken up from when I was Akumatized." Juleka shrugged, even without the details surrounding it being clear in her mind, it scared her, losing control like that, possibly hurting others carelessly, because of that loss, frightened her.
"I won't ever leave your side." It was soft but determined, and Juleka leaned into the gentle proximity, half of an embrace, that Rose readily offered her.
"I don't deserve you." Juleka muttered quietly.
"That's not true." Rose smiled back at her, "You deserve more than me, more than anything that I can ever be."
"Rose," Juleka sighed, pulling her closer against herself, not minding at all the level of encouragement that it took to wrap her arms around her and pull her close, "What's your greatest hope?" Anything to put that smile back on her face.
"I just hope that one day, I'll be able to work up the ability to deserve the people in my life, and that they'll see how wonderful and precious they are to me." Rose shrugged, and it was a gentle thing, a simple flutter to accent her words.
"You are already more than enough to deserve the world, Rose." Juleka added on softly.
"Okay." The voice was soft, but it was something, and the smile on her face lifted Juleka's resolve.
"What's your greatest fear?" Juleka asked with some level of trepidation.
"That I'll say something that will make you leave me." It was simple, and it was heartfelt; Juleka just can tell.
"I could never leave you." Juleka murmured, hoping that it would reassure her, the one that she'd fallen hopelessly, head over heels in love with since the day that they'd first met.
"Thank you," Rose murmured and leaned around to gingerly kiss Juleka's lips, tugging her down to her, and not looking at all ashamed or bashful about it for a few, amazing moments.
"I can't help but love you." Juleka murmured as she saw the shell shocked look on her best friend's face, nervous eyes flittering about as if she was scared that she'd push Juleka away by accident.
Rose cuddled closer, reassured, "Can I kiss you again?"
"Anytime you want to." Juleka promised her, smiling as her girlfriend or what she hoped to be able to call a girlfriend looked up at her with hope filled eyes and gentle tears locked in them.
"Thank you," Rose cried, but she leaned in for at least three more kisses before the afternoon was through; it was more than enough to ease the bitter twang of admitting their fears to each other, and it was more than enough to ease their hearts into gentle joy.