From the Cosmos. [gxg]

ix. oh, that's why it's so warm.

Warmth enveloped Marisol's body, early morning light streaming in from her window pane and onto her face. She debated sleeping longer, but her body protested, as if reaching out towards the sun. It was a warmer morning, which was a bit odd in New York, but she wasn't going to complain. She shifted her hands behind her to push up off of the bed, but something resisted, keeping her down.

Marisol opened her eyes and squinted until her tired eyes adjusted to the brightness. When the light finally faded and she could see, she was met with a dark, slender arm wrapped around her midsection. There was something snug against her back and - oh, that's why it's so warm this morning. Colette was nestled against Marisol like the big spoon. Many would consider themselves lucky to be in her situation, but she was more focused on leaving without waking the other woman up.

Carefully looping her fingers around Colette's wrist, Marisol lifted her arm and put it over Colette's stomach. Then, moving the blankets as little as possible, Marisol slipped out of the bed and onto her feet. She intended to whisk her way right out of the door, but she couldn't help but take a glimpse at Colette's face. The woman was still gorgeous, even with a bedhead. Her face was completely peaceful, contrasting dramatically with her usual big expressions. Marisol sighed. Even if Nevada did end up teasing her later, letting Colette stay over was worth it. It was best for the witch's safety. It also didn't hurt that Marisol might be making a friend.

Marisol left her room, gently shutting the door behind her. She reached over the couch and grabbed the TV remote. She turned the television on, the screen coming alive on a news channel. She turned the volume down so that the anchor's voice was just a murmur and walked to her kitchen. It was a cereal kind of day, she had decided. Lots of sugar and minimal effort was calling her name. She shifted through the cupboard by the fridge and settled on Frosted Flakes. As an adult living on her own, she made her own choices on what to eat. That didn't mean that she couldn't hear her Lola shaming her diet from Florida.

She took out a bowl from the drying rack and poured her cereal in, along with some almond milk. She wasn't exactly lactose intolerant, but dairy didn't agree with her stomach in the morning. She settled on the floor in front of the TV, putting her bowl on the coffee table. Next to her bowl was her phone, and she scrolled through twitter as the TV made white noise around her, shoving spoonfuls of cereal in her mouth.

Marisol's bedroom door opened when she was slurping the leftover sugary almond milk from her bowl. Colette stepped out, her hair disheveled and a warm tint to her skin. She looked well rested, even giving Marisol a radiant smile.

"Did you sleep well?" Marisol asked.

Colette nodded. "Did you?"

"Yes, like a rock." Marisol didn't mention how she woke up being spooned by a world famous actress. "Do you want some breakfast?"

Colette yawned, stretching her arms far above her head. "Sure, what do you have?"

Marisol stood up. "I'll check." She walked to the kitchen and opened the cupboards, pushing containers away to look at the choices. "We have cereal, pop tarts, granola bars, oatmeal.. I think there's some Eggo waffles in the freezer. What would you like?"

There was no response. Marisol turned, peering into the living room. "Colette?"

The actress stood there, staring at the TV screen. She hadn't heard the other woman's questions at all. Marisol walked to the living room.

"Hey, didn't you want breakfa.." Marisol trailed off as her ears picked up the sound of a news anchor speaking. She looked at the T.V. The anchor stood in front of a street packed with protesters. Big bold letters adorned the bottom of the screen.

CAMERA FOOTAGE SHOWS POLICE BEATING WITCH, SHOVING HER IN CAR

Marisol reached down for the remote and shut the TV off. It was a fruitless effort, like putting a screen protector over a broken phone. The damage had already been done. Colette's positivity had left her body. She slouched, her face turned dull, and sorrow filled her eyes. Marisol wasn't great at comforting people, but she'd try her best.

"Let's go back to my room," Marisol said, "I'm so sorry."

Colette nodded and turned around, walking back into the bedroom. Marisol followed, gently shutting the door behind her.

"I'm sorry," Marisol said, "I should have been more careful."

Colette took a shaky breath and sat down on the bed. "It's alright, I should be aware of everything happening anyway."

Marisol didn't have to hear the crack in the woman's voice to know she was lying. "It's not alright."

Colette didn't respond.

Marisol sat on the bed. "Do you want to talk about it?"

The dark-skinned woman looked up, and after furrowing her eyebrows, nodded. Marisol stayed quiet, waiting for her to talk. A long pause stretched between them before Colette began to speak.

"I hate that I'm not doing anything."

Marisol furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"

"I just have this huge platform, you know? And I'm not using it to speak out. I'm too scared that something might happen to me. I've been donating to magic rights organizations but nobody knows it's me. I wonder how many minds I could change if I just spoke up."

"You're already doing well by donating," Marisol said, "that's more than I've done. We all could do more."

"I just feel like such a coward. I'm a famous witch. I could help make a change."

"Well, announcing that you have magic means that you'd be sterilized. It's not safe."

"Then what should I do?"

"Well, you can sign petitions and donate money. There's also a protest today."

Colette looked at Marisol. "A protest?"

"Yeah, people are marching on the Londyn building. The owner is known for being notoriously anti-magic. His company also works with the government in the sterilization program."

"I want to go," Colette said, "But I'm scared of being identified."

Marisol stood up and walked over to her dresser. She opened the top drawer, where she stored many of her accessories. She pulled the two items she was looking for and held them up. "I have a hat to cover your head and a bandana to tie around your nose and mouth."

Colette nodded. "That's good, thank you. But..." She averted her eyes, looking down at her hands.

Marisol knew the question in her eyes. "I'll go with you."

Colette looked up, smiling. "Alright! What time does it start?"

"I'll check. For now, you should eat breakfast."