Slow Dance

Ylfa sat on the wooden bench on the balcony adjoining the master bedroom. Her legs were curled beneath her, arms wrapped around her shins as she watched small ripples peak across the lake. The sun rose behind the house, the forest casting long, spiky shadows - like a fence of darkness holding the beach at bay.

A soft clink made her lift her head. Jere stepped out, placing a small drink on the table in front of her before sitting beside her with a large blanket. She immediately scooted closer, leaning into him as he threw the blanket over them both. She let out a long, content breath, sinking into the warmth of Jere and the fabric together.

“I love you.”

He smiled.
“And I love you.”

She chuckled.
“Well that much is obvious.”

“Glad to hear that.”

She tried to inch even closer, but there was no space left - so she simply pressed harder, knowing he wouldn’t budge.
“I wanna be closer.”

He laughed softly.
“I don’t think you can get much closer.”

She sighed.
“I know, I know.”

His arm came around her shoulders, pulling her in fully.

“What do we do now?” she asked quietly.

“We do what you said,” he replied. “We wait for you to heal.”

She nodded.
“And then?”

“Still what you said. A family.”

Another nod.
“What about Jaka? And the Kingdom?”

He shrugged.
“I think we sent the message pretty clearly. If they want Eny again, they’ll have to try much harder.”

Ylfa nodded again.
“Then… we’re going to relax.”

She seemed almost unconvinced by the idea. He nodded gently.
“Yup.”

She smiled.
“Then, can we make breakfast together?”

“Of course,” he said, delighted she’d asked. “I’d love that.”

She settled against him, content - though only for a moment.

“We never did find out how Eny healed my ears, did we?”

He shook his head; his processors logged no record. Ylfa giggled.

“I can’t believe we forgot. It was such a monumental moment. We’ll have to say something to her.”

He nodded, and then Ylfa’s face suddenly went blank. Jere straightened, concerned - until his sensors detected a telepathic conversation. She blinked, came back to herself, then smiled.

“She just told me she doesn’t know.”

Jere grinned.
“She’s been listening this whole time, hasn’t she?”

“Yup. And she wants a baby brother.”

He chuckled.
“She’s hopeful.”

Ylfa reached up and pinched his cheek, giving it a playful shake before tucking her arm back beneath the blanket, smiling slyly.

“We’ll have to give her what she wants eventually.”

He laughed, pulling her closer once more.

Ylfa stared out the front window as rain slashed against the glass. Her chin rested in her palms, elbows on the sill, knees on the couch, tail swaying lazily. She looked like a house pet waiting impatiently for the weather to clear so she could go outside. She grumbled.

“It was so nice and sunny this morning… what happened?”

Jere shrugged as he cleaned up after lunch.
“The rain came.”

Ylfa groaned.
“Well, obviously the rain came, nitwit!”

A loud bang sounded from upstairs, making them both freeze. Ylfa called out:

“Honey? Are you alright?”

Eny’s voice floated back cheerfully.
“I’m okay! One of the bad guys died!”

A smile spread across Ylfa’s face. She turned back to the window, tail resuming its gentle sway.

“At least the fish will be enjoying it.”

Jere blinked up at her, perplexed.
“But… fish live in water.”

She nodded brightly.
“Yup! So they’ll be very happy.”

He shook his head, baffled, and set the last plate on the rack to dry. Then he came to sit beside her on the couch. She continued to stare intently at the falling rain, as if sheer force of will might make it stop. He turned, trying to see what she saw - nothing but grey downpour. His gaze drifted to her instead.

Her arms, covered in long scabs, were supposedly healing slowly. It would be a long time before they were fully recovered. Her legs were in better shape, but still not the smooth perfection they usually had. She needed more changes of clothes too - something he’d hoped to do today, but the weather had convinced Ylfa otherwise.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his MP3 player, flicking it on. The small screen lit up as he scrolled through the thousand songs he’d handpicked. Little snippets of each song played as he passed them, drawing Ylfa’s attention. Her ears twitched. She suddenly plopped down next to him.

“Wait! Go back!”

He obeyed - his processors already predicting exactly which track had caught her attention. The song began to play: peaceful, melancholic, slow guitar strums weaving with soft vocals. A love song - one about being enough despite imperfections.

Jere understood immediately.

Ylfa stood, renewed strength in her posture after a good night’s sleep. She held out her hand. He took it. She clasped his other hand, their eyes meeting - and they began to dance.

It felt natural. Effortless. The way they moved together, the way each motion flowed into the next. Jere could feel the scabs beneath his fingertips, the pain carved into her skin, but she moved with such grace it was easy to forget they were there.

The song deepened, and so did their movements - more fluid, more expressive. She twirled, weightless in his hands, and he lifted her effortlessly. She floated back down like a drifting leaf.

Neither noticed Eny watching from the stairwell, wide-eyed with amazement. They were lost in each other.

When the song finally ended, they stilled with their bodies pressed together, breathing in sync. Then they leaned in, lips meeting. Eny covered her eyes - peeked - covered them again, baffled at how long a kiss could last.

When they finally parted, the next song already halfway through, their eyes stayed locked. A flicker of movement caught Ylfa’s attention. She turned her head slowly, a warm smile blooming across her face while she remained against Jere.

“Hello, honey. Did you finish your game?”

Eny stared back, dazed, and nodded. Ylfa looked at Jere, then back at the girl.

“This is what people who are in love do.”

Eny stuck out her tongue.
“Kissing, ew!”

She scampered up the stairs. Ylfa watched her go, then turned back to Jere. He looked at her. She looked at him.

And then they moved into another kiss - deeper, warmer, more meaningful than anything words could have said.