Prompt: Kaider - dancing.
The last time Kai had danced with a Lunar queen, he had wanted nothing more than to dance with literally anyone else. Even Queen Camilla, who stepped on his toes during every single dance she'd ever attended in the Commonwealth, or one of those giggly New Beijing fangirls, who spent most of every waltz blushing and stuttering, would have been preferable to whirling around the dance floor with gritted teeth and Levana in his arms.
But this year was different.
Kai stood at attention at the foot of the stairs, watching as the second Lunar queen in as many years made her grand entrance to the 127th Annual Peace Festival, the silver fabric of her elegant gown shimmering under the dazzling light of a thousand paper lanterns, while the gleaming metal of her cybernetic hand winked with every step she took. Kai grinned as her foot caught in the hem of the dress and she stumbled briefly, righting herself before the newsfeed journalists could catch the mistake and continuing just as majestically as before. Kai liked this one much better than her predecessor.
"You look wonderful, Your Majesty." He bent in a formal bow as Cinder reached the bottom step, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. The ballroom had gone silent, but for the clicks of hundreds of cameras capturing the image that would be plastered over every feed on two worlds by morning. It was…symbolic. One year ago today, the same girl had come down the same stairs with a foot several times too small and sparked a revolution. Today, she floated down them in a crown to celebrate peace, both international and intergalactic. Kai rose, chuckling at the deer-in-the-headlights look on Cinder's face. And she hadn't changed a bit. "Please don't faint."
"Don't even joke." She matched his whisper, even as she smiled her greeting to the various members of the Earthen Union. "That's a very real possibility at this point."
"Is not. You're doing great." Kai countered as her hand settled into the crook of his elbow and they made their way into the center of the dance floor for the ceremonial first dance, traditionally reserved for the current emperor and empress. Or, in the event of an unmarried monarch, the guest of their choosing. It hadn't been a tough decision in Kai's case. Cinder flashed that uneasy little smile that he'd learned was her equivalent of blushing; it was a lot cuter, in his opinion.
"Well, at least I didn't fall down the stairs this time. That's always a plus."
Kai laughed outright this time, the sound drowned out by the opening notes of the waltz. Cinder dropped into a curtsy that was still slightly stiff, but much improved from the last official function, and Kai bowed deeply in return before sliding an arm around her waist and drawing her close. Her right hand was warm in his, while he could feel the cool metal of her left through the silk of his formal shirt. It was a refreshing bit of relief against the heat of a packed ballroom in summer. A welcome change that he hadn't missed until he felt it. Just like Cinder.
"Your dancing's improved, too. Told you you were doing great." Kai murmured as they swirled over the hardwood, the colorful ball gowns and vibrant decorations blurring into an unimportant background for the girl in his arms. Cinder grinned.
"I had a good teacher." That had been one of her crash courses in royalty that neither of them had minded. The smile became a rueful smirk, then. "And way too many official functions to practice at."
"Well, get used to it." He lowered his voice as the music started to die away, replaced by the thunderous applause common to the end of the opening dance. They spun to a stop where they'd begun, in the center of the dance floor. "You know, the emperor has to open this thing every year. With the empress."
Cinder glanced up at him as the dancefloor began to flood with other couples, another song roaring to life from the orchestra pit, deafening even over the rustle of silk skirts and the tap of dancing shoes. She smiled, dark eyes warm as they scanned his face, his eyes…his lips. "So I've heard. Guess we've got a lot more practice in store, then."
"A lot more." Kai tugged her closer again—closer than Torin would've approved of, now that the cameras were off of them, and Cinder offered no objection—and started swaying to the new song. He let his eyes fall shut, smiling to himself. This time last year, he'd been certain he'd never be happy again, let alone this happy. He was glad to be wrong.