Start with Niko, in the reboot

Saying Mel had a complicated relationship with Niko would be an understatement. As far as Niko was concerned, Mel was just a woman she’d met while trying to investigate a case, and they’d ended up hitting it off; she’d asked Mel for help a few times, and then found out rather suddenly that magic was real and that Mel was a witch.

Which was complicated enough. Except for the fact that, to Mel, Niko was her ex. They’d dated until being a witch and the proximity to demons that involved put Niko in enough danger that she’d resorted to a history-rewriting spell to make it so they’d never made, just to keep Niko safe.

So talking to Niko probably wasn’t the smartest decision of her life, Mel reflected. And given how much it had been impressed upon her to keep her powers secret, neither was telling her she was a witch.

She couldn’t honestly say she regretted it though.

They’d been talking for a while, sat by the wall of a bar, voices low but still easy to hear over the hubbub of other patrons.

Every word made Mel feel guilty. A couple of years ago Niko had started feeling like something was wrong, right at the time they should have met. Eventually that had led her here, eventually that had made her wonder how much magic might be responsible for.

She couldn’t just let it go. Mel hesitated; telling the truth wouldn’t make Niko feel better, would it?

Even with all her magic, she felt powerless. Any gesture she made would only be a token contribution to right all she’d done.

Mel reached back, pulling something out from her pocket. Well she could do a little.

“I brought this for you,” Mel said, offering a small ring.

“What is it?” Niko said, leaning closer.

“This ring will protect you from all magic,” Mel said.

Niko blinked; Mel slid it onto her finger. Niko glanced down at it.

“How does it work?” Niko said.

“Watch,” Mel said, almost playfully, and extended a hand.

She always felt a little self-conscious showing off her powers, especially after so long keeping them hidden. Still, it took no effort at all to freeze the room; only Niko and herself remained able to move.

It was a second before Niko realised what the sudden silence meant. Ring protecting her, she turned around, jaw dropping.

Mel couldn’t help but smile at her reaction; she watched as Niko pushed herself out of her chair, running around the bar in wonder, ducking between strangers to see frozen faces.

“Oh my god,” Niko said, breathless. “Oh my god. You just… you pressed pause on life! Have- Have you ever frozen me? Wait, of course you have, this makes so much sense. I can’t believe it…”

A half-mad laugh escaped her lips. She came to a stop eventually, standing out in what should have been a busy area of the bar, right where people should have been walking. Unmoving faces stared at her.

Niko paused, a hundred mad thoughts crossing her mind at the sudden, impossible situation she found herself in. She bit her lip.

“You know,” Niko said, too high on wonder to be embarrassed, “I could just take off all my clothes right now and all these people would have no idea.”

She wasn’t sure what made her want to sound almost flirty around Mel. She was engaged damn it! But the distracted look that passed across Mel’s face, followed by her chuckle, was undeniably kind of thrilling.

“You could,” Mel said. She smirked. “What’s stopping you?”

“I… no, no I couldn’t,” Niko said. She hesitated, looking around the frozen bar again. “…Could I?”

“Honestly?” Mel said. “You wouldn’t be the only one. Sometimes it’s just not worth getting dressed in the morning when you can just walk wherever you want without anyone knowing.”

“I… really?” Niko said.

She couldn’t help her eyes wandering briefly flicking up and down Mel, trying to convince herself that she wasn’t picturing that. Mel just chuckled; apparently nudity didn’t bother her, or at least it didn’t around Niko.

“Jada doesn’t complain,” Mel said. She chuckled.

“I… don’t know if I could do all that,” Niko said. “Not outside at least.”

“And in here?” Mel said.

“I… Oh what the hell?” Niko said.

Giggling, moving quickly as if afraid her brain was going to catch up to her, Niko hastily slipped her arms down and started pulling her loose top over her head; she moved closer to Mel and put it down on the table between them. Lacking a bra, she looking at her friend with only crossed arms over her chest.

Mel swallowed, throat suddenly dry.

Still giggling with a mix of disbelief and nerves, Niko started undoing her pants as she kicked off her shoes, making it easier to discard both pants and panties. She put them on the table, then quickly darted back to her seat, stark naked now.

She leant forwards, arms crossed over her tits and legs pressed together, unable to help the nervous laughter.

“God, I can’t believe I just did that,” Niko said.

Mel was still staring. It was a moment before she cleared her throat and nodded, distracted by the sight of her kinda-sorta ex nude on her chair.

Oddly, there was something that felt almost… natural about being naked in front of Mel. Not like it would be, being nude like this in front of anyone else she knew.

Niko shifted in the chair, crossing her long, bare legs and biting her lip. There was definitely a thrill to being like this in a public place, but only because no one else had any idea.

God, actually being seen like this though…

“So, how’s it feel?” Mel said.

“I think… fun,” Niko said, and giggled awkwardly again.