Nostalgia Seed

His heart fluttered.
“Sunscreen you? You mean your back?”

“That, and my legs. I can’t do them myself, I’ll fall over.”

She wasn’t lying, though it was clear there was more to it than that. But he wasn’t about to protest. A few seconds later, sunscreen was lathered in his hands. He decided that starting with her legs might end him on the spot, so he shuffled on his knees around to her back instead.

The bare skin there almost glowed in the sunlight. He reached out gingerly.

“Ah! Cold!” she squeaked as his fingers made contact.

He smiled apologetically and pressed his palm more firmly against her, her skin soft and warm beneath the cool lotion. He forced down his nerves and began to rub, slow and careful, as if painting something precious. Each movement smoothed the sunscreen evenly across her shoulders and along the gentle curve of her spine.

As he became absorbed in the feeling, her voice broke the quiet.

“I don’t know if you remember this, but on the day we met, you said that I saved you, and that it was a story for another time.”

The memory returned at once: the veteran’s concert, the music, her song. He smiled.
“Yes, I remember. Want to hear it now?”

She nodded.

“That night,” he began, “I went because I thought it’d be nice to attend something that wasn’t swarmed by media. Honestly, I just wanted to talk to someone. I’d been… pretty lonely. But I lost focus during the concert and started daydreaming. At some point I must’ve fallen asleep, because I started having nightmares.”

“What kind?”

“Flying an aircraft like Freyla II. I was being chased by an enemy jet. I was on the verge of being shot down, seconds away from making a scene, probably, when you started playing. Everything vanished. I felt more peace in that moment than I had in years. So I promised myself I’d talk to you afterward, and… well, here we are.”

She chuckled softly.
“That’s so special. I had no idea.”

He smiled.
“Yeah. Thank you again, for that, and for… everything else that came after.”

“You’re welcome.”

“By the way,” he said, “you also said you had a story. Can I hear it?”

Mele laughed lightly.
“Yeah, that’s fair. Oh, where to start…” She tilted her chin in thought.
“I was touring bases, doing performances, when one of the groups I played for didn’t come back the next day. That’s where the nickname came from, the Reaper’s Songstress. Hardly anyone came to watch me after that. But then I performed at your base, and you were the only combatant in the audience.”

He snapped his fingers.
“Yes! I remember that!”

She smiled.
“Well, I cried in my hotel room that night. I thought you’d die too, and that everyone would blame me. But you didn’t. The curse broke.”

By the time she finished, he’d completed her back and moved to her legs. She was smiling now - bright and unguarded, her expression full of quiet joy.

“Thank you for that,” she said softly. “It changed my life. Literally.”

He smiled back, carefully avoiding eye contact with the stretch of thigh before him.
“You’re welcome. I didn’t even realize I’d done that. Kinda crazy, huh?”

She nodded, her grin turning playful.
“Not as crazy as how hesitant you are to sunscreen my legs.”

He made a show of remembering suddenly, and she giggled as his hands began working over her lower legs. Then she reached out and tapped his shoulder. He looked up, and she guided his gaze to her hand - resting it on her thigh. Slowly, she traced her fingers upward, the motion featherlight.

When she stopped just shy of her pelvis, she pointed.
“I can feel from here onwards.”

He blinked in surprise.
“So you’ve got a little feeling in your thighs after all?”

She shook her head.
“No, only from here. And it’s the same on both sides. It just… cuts out quite suddenly.”

He nodded, unsure what exactly she wanted him to take from that, but smiled anyway.
“Well, that’s something.”

She smiled back.
“It’s a lot more than something, in my opinion. But yeah… it’s something.”

As he continued, she sighed softly, wishing she could feel his hands gliding up and down her legs. Not for the first time, she felt that bitter sting toward the boy who’d taken that from her - followed by resentment toward herself, still blaming her own actions for causing his anger. She forced it away before it could spiral and focused instead on watching him.

He worked methodically, using both hands to cover each leg evenly, but she could practically smell his nervousness when he reached her kneecap and began moving gradually up her thigh. His concentration was so intense she had to stifle a laugh. When their eyes met, her amusement betrayed her.

She tilted her head, smiling softly.
“You’re cute as always.”

He swallowed audibly, finishing quickly and stopping right where he guessed she could manage the rest. Straightening up, he smiled nervously. She nodded with quiet satisfaction.
“Thank you. Can you pass me the bottle?”

He handed her the sunscreen, and she took over, finishing the upper parts herself with one hand while keeping the other braced for balance. When she was done, Fali had already turned toward the bag, rummaging through it.

“What’re you doing?” she asked.

He looked over his shoulder, puzzled.
“Finding lunch?”

Her lips curled into a teasing smile.
“Surely you know you can’t swim after eating.”

He froze, terror flickering across his face as he realized exactly what she meant.
“But you just put on sunscreen! It’ll all wash off…”

She shrugged, her grin widening.
“Then you can help me put more on later.”

He nodded a little too quickly, every movement stiff with nerves. She couldn’t help laughing.
“Come on, don’t be shy. Pick me up, let’s go!”

He approached, kneeling with one leg up. She looped her arms around his neck as he slid his arms beneath her and lifted her effortlessly. Despite her weight, he carried her easily across the sand toward the water.

Mele gazed up at him, the sunlight glittering over the waves behind him.
“You can swim, right?”

He smiled down, careful not to look too low.
“I can, quite well, actually.”

She sighed happily.
“That’s good. I used to be able to swim.”

Sadness flickered across her face, so he offered a gentle smile.
“Then I guess you’ll just have to use me as a floatie.”

Her grin returned.
“Do you think you can swim with me clinging to you?”

He shrugged, playfulness glinting in his eyes.
“Worth a shot.”

The waves were low, gentle - if not for the slow rolling peaks rippling here and there, the sea could’ve been mistaken for a still lake. Fali stepped in carefully, the water lapping at his ankles as he waded deeper.

Mele’s heart thudded. If anything went wrong… but she trusted him. She held tighter as the water reached his knees.

He hissed.
“It’s kinda cold.”

She giggled at his expression - and yelped as a cold splash hit her back. Fali grinned slyly, one leg settling in the water again.

“You bastard! If I could walk, your head would be under by now!”

He laughed, tilting her back playfully.
“Don’t tempt me!”

She squealed, then laughed as he straightened again and continued forward. The water climbed steadily up his waist before he stopped and smiled.
“Alright. Wanna try swimming?”

She nodded. He took a breath.
“Okay. Hold onto my neck, kind of like you are now, but from behind. I’ll swim with you on my back.”

“Okay.”

He crouched down until his chest was submerged, the buoyancy lightening her weight just enough for her to shuffle around, with his help, until she was settled behind him. He tried not to notice the soft pressure against his back through her top - not now. Twisting his head proved impossible, so he faced forward and called out:
“Ready?”

Her voice came bright and eager.
“Yeah!”

He pushed off. Instantly, he realized this was nothing like normal swimming. His arms bit into the water, legs kicking hard, his breath shallow as he worked to keep them both afloat. Every so often, a small wave would dip him under.

But the laughter behind him made it all worth it - joyful, carefree, the sound of someone rediscovering a piece of themselves. He couldn’t help grinning, even as he caught a mouthful of seawater and came up sputtering.

They didn’t get far, but every meter meant the world to Mele. Each stroke was proof she could still do things - still live, still laugh, still feel the sea breeze on her face. So when Fali finally stopped, crouching and panting for breath, she pouted.

“Hey! I was enjoying that!”

He laughed, spinning her around so he could cradle her again.
“So was I, but I’m not superhuman!”

Her eyes sparkled.
“You would be if I bribed you with the right thing, and you know it.”

He swallowed, knowing exactly what she meant. She burst into laughter again, his flustered face only fueling her amusement.

“Ah, well. Thank you for that.”

He smiled softly.
“Anytime. I did say I’d do anything for you.”

She grinned.
“I plan to hold you to that.”

He chuckled.
“I don’t know if that’s a threat or not.”

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Their laughter drifted over the water, caught and carried by the gentle tide until even the waves seemed to hush. For a long moment, they just looked at each other - two hearts steady and certain beneath the endless sky - and both wondered if this was what a whole and healthy love felt like.

And for the first time in a long while, they forgot everything else, fully encapsulated by each other.