Motion
By Sei Cat
The room was already dim when Vash the Stampede, Humanoid Typhoon, pushed open the door and eased himself inside. There was music playing softly in the background; gentle and velvety. Two candles burned steadily from their sconce by the door. Just beyond their circle of light Meryl sat, her cheek cradled in her palm and her elbows on the windowsill. She turned when he closed the door behind him with a soft click and Vash watched the silver bands of moonlight fall like water down the short length of her hair.
She smiled at him, perhaps a little foolishly. But no more foolishly than the way he smiled at her.
"Is this all right?" Vash asked trying to break the awkwardness that had somehow risen up between them. Meryl nodded and looked away suddenly very interested in taking in the evening desert air and Vash noticed that she had taken off her shoes. Her little feet leaned lightly against the first rung of her chair. Vash smiled again. Maybe a little more foolishly this time but he understood a little bit of this wisdom: this was not something he wanted to attempt with his boots on. Off came boots, gloves, and coat to be piled neatly beside the door where Meryl's own accessories were folded. He wriggled his bare toes against the warm wood of the floor. When he glanced up, Meryl was watching his feet. That same little smile was back. He couldn't resist wiggling his toes one more time, just for her, and, as he had hoped, she giggled. It gave him just enough courage to make his way to the center of the room where he stood quietly and waited.
Meryl bit her lip and silently berated herself for being so nervous. It was her idea, after all. She stood, then, and if she spent a little more time pushing her chair back under her desk than was strictly necessary Vash marked it up to his own nervousness distorting his sense of time. She stood before him then, head tilted up to see his face.
"I don't want to hurt you." He said when the silence had gone on for too long.
"You won't." She smiled.
" I don't know what to do."
"I'll show you." She reached out shyly and took his hand showing him were it should go and moving herself closer. He began to move with her, following her lead, slowly at first, but with more and more confidence.
"Is this right?" He only asked now to see her smile at him.
"Yes." She said and smiled and moved against him showing him what to do with her eyes and hands and body. And he responded. They moved together: Vash imitating Meryl's movements as she whispered encouragements and directions. They followed this rhythm together until Vash reached up to brush a lock of Meryl's hair away from where it had fallen over her eyes. They faltered then, and broke from each other laughing. And when they took up the rhythm again it was Vash who lead and Meryl who followed. And the night wore out into the day long before they thought to stop.
"I didn't realize it was so late." Vash said, one hand scratching the back of his head, the other still resting gently but firmly around Meryl's waist.
"We should get some sleep." Meryl offered tentatively, conscious of the weight of his arm around her and not at all sure she ever wanted that weight removed.
"What was that again? What we did?"
"It's called a Waltz. Next time I'll show you a Quickstep."
Author's Notes:
Shame on you! What were you thinking!?
Yeah, this is about as close as I'm gonna get to a Lemon . . . Myuuuu!
If you've ever danced with someone you love then you know what this is all about . . .
And, yes, like everything else I do, I dreamed this one up one night.