"Care for a dance, mi'lady?"

Nova responds, but not exactly the way Sprx expected her to. He felt a surprisingly firm grip on his hand as he was pulled to his feet. He saw a golden figure before him, bathed in artificial yellow light under the bulb, making her whole body glow slightly. Nova's pink eyes were a stunning addition to her breathtaking appearance. Sprx tried to speak with his previous bravado, but he was too in awe to do so. He knew that she was good looking, but since when was she this beautiful?

He swears that an angel is standing before him.

Rose colored orbs looked up into a midnight black pair, and she flashes a lopsided grin at him. It made her eyes crinkle, which Sprx found adorable. Without thinking, he placed one of his hands on her shoulder, and the other on her waist. A subtle frown crosses Nova's face.

The golden warrior gently pried Sprx's metallic hand from her waist and intertwines her fingers with his. He stared at her in slight surprise, and cannot help but smile when he saw a slight blush cross her cheeks as she looked down in shyness. She had never been this intimate with her actions before, and he appreciated it greatly. More than appreciated, in fact. He adored it.

"Let us enjoy ourselves tonight." Sprx said, bowing deeply with a feigned gracefulness of a gentleman.

He spun her with just the right amount of strength, dipped her until their faces were only inches apart. He felt her warm breath on his, and he savored the moment- her weight in his arms. The love of his life in front of him, safe and sound from the cruelty of this world he vowed to protect her from.

I don't know what I would do if you had been lost in the wormhole forever.

He tried not to think about it, but the memory of his desperateness to find her on that day had come back to haunt him more than once. He shook his head slightly, scolding himself mentally for getting upset over what had already happened.

Her soft fur rubbed against his hand, and he thinks that, no, she is here with him, and she forever will be.

He wouldn't trade this moment for the world.

Then he pulled her up to him, until her torso was almost touching his own.

"You never told me you could dance." Nova teased lightly. Her voice sounded like delicate music to his ears. A perfect melody.

"Well," he flashed his best smile, "I only learnt from the best."

She raised an eyebrow. "And that is...?"

A pause as he pondered over the answer. Then, he replied reluctantly:

"...Antauri."

Nova took a second to stare at him in disbelief, her eyes widening slightly. After the initial shock sank in, she burst out in a fit of giggles. Her whole body shook with laughter, but he didn't feel angry. She raised a hand up to her muzzle, trying to contain her voice.

Even though Sprx had a spirit as strong as stone, he had a heart of a child, which she often found, was an endearing trait of his. Taking dance lessons from Antauri – seriously, of all people- just for this moment, this night. All for her sake.

Nova shifted closer to Sprx, resuming her position in his arms. The scent of lemon and sunshine from her fur only made him all the more dizzy. He inhaled deeply, and closed his eyes.

God only knows how she can be so strong during battle, but so deathly alluring when they were alone.

Now it was Nova's turn. She placed a grip on his shoulder, her other hand still holding his. The golden warrior starts by taking a step to the right, guiding him along as he faithfully follows. She then exerts her weight on him and pushed both of them forward in one fluid and graceful motion, and soon, they were floating around the floor, moving in a perfect harmony. Under her confident guidance, he swore that his feet were barely touching the ground as the cool air caressed his fur.

When Nova was beginning to slow down, Sprx took the opportunity to separate both his hands from hers as he pulled her into a warm embrace, causing her to stop in her tracks. The soft orchestra music from behind filled the air around them, and it had a calming effect on his nerves. His heartbeat was spiking as each minute of comfortable silence passed between the two, but he did not ignore her soft, thumping pulse against his own either.

He raised a hand to touch her face, his thumb resting on a pink orb. He smirked.

"Do you have a map? Because I got lost looking in your eyes."

Nova cringed, then looked at him quizzically. Realizing what he had said, Sprx's face turned even redder at his fur, and felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

"What are you, fifteen?"

He smiled sheepishly before responding softly. "It sounded better when I don't say it out loud."

Nova shook her head, amused at the red monkey's actions. "Other girls may fall for your flirty antics, but not me."

Sprx jabbed an elbow in her arm, teasing her. "You're the hardest to get so far."

The golden warrior gave him her most challenging gaze. "And why do you still try?"

The red monkey contemplated for a moment. It's because of you that I managed to get rid of the Fire of Hate in me. Because I almost lost you twice, and I never, ever want that to happen again, he wanted to say, but he knew that those weren't his primary reasons. It was now or never. He took in a deep breath and steeled himself.

"Because I love you," Sprx finally gathered enough courage to blurt out, his voice in the most sincere tone she has ever heard, "I really do."

He could see her whole face light up and her muscles relaxing. Nova looked at him directly in the eye, all previous traces of hostility gone.

"I love you too."

Sprx knew that he was grinning like an idiot, but he did not care. He wants—needs-her, and he needs her now.

"Even though we've been through a lot-"

Nova did not get to finish her sentence. He tilted her chin up and crushed his lips against hers. To his astonishment, Nova did not pull away. Instead, she kissed back tenderly, as if he was made of fragile crystalline glass. She raised a hand, wrapped it around his neck to pull him closer, and at the same time, tried to imprint this moment as deeply as she can into her brain. The feeling of his soft lips against hers, tasting slightly of almond and chocolate from the desserts he had eaten earlier.

Nova tried to bring Sprx closer one more time, until she was absolutely sure that there was no distance between them, before they broke away for air, panting.

He smiled, touching his lips gently and closed his eyes again, trying to imagine what heaven felt like.

Because he was pretty damn sure that he had shared a kiss with an angel just now.

"Care for a drink?"

Nova's voice broke the silence between them as she walked over to the table, pouring apple cider into a glass. When she sees him nod, she fills up another glass with pale yellow liquid and passes it to him.

"Bottom's up."

Sprx clinked his glass against hers and both of them laugh as they tilt their heads, draining the liquid in one gulp.

"This is perfect." She commented and affectionately planted a chaste kiss on his forehead as he walked over to collect her empty glass.

He gave her a smile, and took a minute to reply.

"You're right."

A pause, then a chuckle escaped from his lips.

"I couldn't ask for more."

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A/N: A lighter read this time, and my first romance fic, hope it's not too cringeworthy heheh. I've been into Spova lately, starting to like them as a couple even more now after rewatching S4. The song "Shut up and dance with me" really suits them, which is where I got this idea from. Thanks for reading!