There was no one coming when Vania poked her head out her bedroom door. There was no one at all to see, just as Vania liked it, and she couldn't help a grin. With a duffle bag on her shoulder, she ran through the halls and rooms of the palace, stopping at last in a secluded room. It was the perfect place, completely her own, and none of her guards went there– they all knew it was hers alone.
When Vania reached the room in question, she slipped inside quickly. It was almost empty, save for a large board on the floor and a speaker set by it. She immediately went to it and dropped her duffle, listening to the soft thunk as it collided with the tile floor.
For a moment, Vania smiled. Then she unzipped the bag and rooted through it, pulling out a pair of shoes. They were her favorite black, T-strap heels, and she slipped them on easily, buckling the ankle straps with practiced ease. They fit perfectly, and she gave them a few experimental taps, before walking to the speaker and pressing a few buttons.
The sound of music erupted from the speakers, and then Vania stretched, just the slightest bit added onto her morning routine she'd already done. Then the music began to speed up, and get louder, and she was in motion, tapping and turning in time with the tunes.
Clickity-click clack, tap tip tap– the sound echoed through the palace's hallways, echoing off the intricate marblework that made up the opulent walls and vaulted ceiling. The tapping was harsh, but not in a mean way; it was harsh in the way that it clashed against Vania's eardrums with a welcome, pleasant clack.
The motions came like second nature, if Vania was honest with herself. She'd done them a million times, always in synchrony with the music she knew by heart. This was her escape; her pastime; her passion; her secret. Who would she tell that she tap danced? Who would be interested? Probably no one. No, the music was her best friend for this moment, even as her actual best friend– or whatever he was to her– slumbered in one of the palace's numerous guest rooms.
No, the music was her friend, her family. It surrounded her, held her in its grasp, guided her. The music swelled and grew, shrank and dimmed, pushed and prodded her forward. It was there, and then dropped off suddenly, only to reappear with sweet promises of peace. Its tones surrounded her, filling her ears with harmony, and she couldn't help but smile.
With a bit of peace in her mind and some vigor in her heart, Vania spun. She let herself fall to the board below her, clacking in time with the song she listened to. It was some love song she'd long since memorized, but she didn't care right now– all she cared about were the motions to go with it. She let her arms and legs move on their own, muscle memory driving their actions, and perfection would be the result; if not now, then soon.
For a little portion of eternity, she felt like she might be flying. Once, twice, thrice, she went through the routine; she had set the music to repeat, and she wasn't paying attention to how long she went. Only her muscles' protests told her how long she'd danced, and she didn't listen to them much.
The piece repeated over and over, playing through as many times as she wanted. It wasn't until she ached that she stopped, and pressed the button on the speaker to stop the piece. The sudden silence revealed her breathlessness, and the ringing in her ears that she hadn't heard over it… but she couldn't help but grin.
For a moment… she just breathed.
In, out. In, out.
In, out…
Her eyes flicked around the room. There was no one away in the palace at this time of morning; only the guards, who knew better than to come into this room of hers. She wondered if anyone would know if she just laid down and slept there for hours…
Just as she was thinking about it, a sudden knock startled her from her thoughts, rattling against the door. She whipped around, turning to the source. "Who is it?!"
"Cole," a familiar voice replied. "Can I come in?"
Her heart leapt into her throat– he'd found her secret room. "Uh… why?"
"Because… I want to?" He laughed. "Is something wrong? I can go."
"Uh– no! Nothing!" She hastily smoothed down her skirt, biting down on her lip to fight her nerves. "You can come in."
Cole pushed the door open, and it squeaked the slightest bit, before he entered and closed it behind himself. "What are you doing in here this early?"
"Oh… you know. Stuff." She smiled sheepishly. "What are you doing up so early?"
He snickered at her question. "I'm doing 'stuff' too." He held up a plate. "I brought you some breakfast… but am I interrupting something?"
"Oh, no! Not at all!" She forced a smile. "I just thought you'd want to sleep a while longer. The trip from Ninjago isn't very short."
He shrugged. "Nah, I'm fine. I'm a ninja, remember? We're used to little sleep."
"Well, yeah, but you shouldn't have to be used to it."
"Vania, it's fine." He grinned. "What are you doing, though? You look all dressed up."
She hesitated, looking down at her outfit. She'd worn her nicest leotard and skirt today– she hadn't planned on him seeing her, but at least it wasn't too bad… all of it was shades of pink and purple, except for her T-strap heels, in their perfect polished black. They didn't match...
She knew she had to respond, so she summoned up some words and hoped they'd be enough. "Well, I'm… tap dancing."
His eyebrows rose. "Really? I didn't know you danced." He put the plate he was holding down on a table by the wall.
"It's not something I usually talk about." She fidgeted with the material of her skirt. "Like how you don't talk about Marty Oppenheimer's."
"Well, yeah, but that's different." He smiled, coming up to her. "How long have you been dancing?"
"A few years, give or take." She smiled back at him– it wasn't hard. "It's something I picked up while I was stuck here, y'know. Before we opened our borders."
"That's a long time."
"It is."
The conversation petered off, and then the two of them were just looking at each other. Her heart did a flip in her chest as he grinned at her, hair still a little messy from getting up that morning. She wondered if hers was tidy, and messed with her ponytail a little, trying to tame the golden strands. They wouldn't smooth out...
"So," he eventually spoke up, and she looked at him again. "I brought you breakfast, but I can leave it if you're not done. I figured it's enough to share?" He said it like it was a question, but it wasn't much of one in Vania's mind.
"That sounds wonderful! I'm done, I think." She'd already done her routine two or three times; there wasn't any use in doing it a fourth when she could be spending that time eating breakfast with Cole. "Besides, what kind of host would I be if I didn't make time to eat with you?"
"A busy one, probably. After all, I'm the one who barged in." He chuckled and went to get the plate, bringing it over. "I don't think there are any chairs in here…"
She laughed. "Nope! We can just sit on the floor, it's clean." She bent down and took off her heels, setting them aside before sitting down cross-legged beside the shoes. "Come on, sit with me!"
As he sat, he smiled, still carefully holding up the plate. "Those are some nice shoes you've got."
"You think so? They're my favorites."
"Yeah! They're pretty." He set the plate down in front of them; it was actually two, with a large slice of breakfast cake on the top one, along with two forks. "They suit you, really."
She blushed a little. "Oh, I don't know. I don't wear stuff like this often, besides for this…" She looked down at her outfit again. "It's a little revealing– not something a queen should be seen in. I usually wear sweats or robes over it if I have to be seen..."
"Oh, well, it's not like it's bad to look at." He grinned, but then seemed to realize what he'd said, and flushed a little. "I mean, I think you're fine- I've been around plenty of dancers, after all. It's not like they leave much to the imagination."
"What?" She looked at him curiously. Did he mean that he'd seen… no, he couldn't have. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean…" He looked like he was struggling with his words, and laughed. "Geez, I can't talk today! I just meant that I don't think you're in a bad state. I'm sorry I intruded on your private little ritual."
"Oh, no, it's fine!" She smiled back, reaching for the cake as the realization sunk in– he was just being weird, and that wasn't strange to her anymore, just endearing. "I don't mind it, really."
"You sure?" His dark eyes didn't seem to leave her, and she felt warm… unless that was from the dancing. She definitely hadn't slept enough the night before.
"I'm okay with you knowing," she admitted.
"You're certain about that? It seems like your whole staff knows not to come over here." He took the bottom plate out from under, along with one of the forks.
"Yeah, I'm sure." She took the other fork, then paused. "Should I just… cut this in two?"
"I guess?" He shrugged awkwardly. "I didn't really think ahead…"
She laughed at that. "Okay, well, that's fine." She used her fork to slice the piece of cake in two, and carefully put one on Cole's plate. "I'm okay with just doing this."
He grinned, and when it was safely delivered, he took off the tip of the piece with his fork and held it up. "A toast?"
She grinned back, and after doing the same, clinked her fork against his. "Yeah, a toast… but to what?"
He snickered. "Maybe to your dancing? You're really good."
"No, something else! Not my dancing."
"Fine. How about mornings like these?"
She paused, thinking about it, and the peaceful morning that had preceded her dance session. The night before, too, with a movie marathon that lasted long enough that the moon was high in the sky when she went to bed, and when they'd laid down together for hours on the couch… "Yeah. Mornings like these." She clinked their forks together again. "And the nights before them." She managed to get the words out, but just barely, before yawning.
Cole snickered, eating his bite of cake and humming in delight. Then he smirked at her. "Someone didn't get enough sleep last night."
"I'm fine!" She ate the bite on her fork and mimicked his humming– it was just so good!
"Sure," he drawled, taking another bite. "Not sleepy at all."
"Nope." She took a bite of the side of the cake with crumb topping and cream cheese frosting, enjoying the taste on her tongue. "Just a good morning with exercise and some cake, shared with my best friend in the whole world."
"Okay, if you say so." He rolled his eyes goodnaturedly, and took another large bite of his cake. "How much did you sleep last night, anyway?"
"How much did you?" Vania retorted, taking another bite after she answered.
"Six hours." He shrugged. "You?"
"...Five." She looked down at her plate, avoiding his gaze and stifling another sudden yawn.
"Why didn't you get more?" He turned his head questioningly, and she knew he was watching her intently, the way he always did. It made her heart pound against her ribcage and in her ears.
"Well…" What was she supposed to say? She couldn't exactly say she'd been thinking about how they'd laid together for hours watching movies, sharing snacks and whispered jokes, so she just chanced a look up at his face. "I guess I just had trouble falling asleep, is all."
He frowned, brow creasing. "Oh. That's not good."
"Nope." She shook her head, and turned back to her cake before she could embarrass herself. "So… I didn't sleep as much as you did."
He smiled gently. "Do you need to take a nap today, then?"
She tried to respond, but was cut off by a yawn. When it faded, she laughed self-consciously. "Um… maybe, but I'm fine."
"Maybe? More like yes." He chuckled. "Sooner rather than later, too."
"No, I can stay up." She finished her cake and put her plate down. "I'm fine."
"Nah, you need more sleep." He grinned at her, having finished his breakfast before she had. "Why don't you go back to bed and sleep some more this morning? I can just wait for you to get some rest; it's still early."
"What? I can't do that to you, you're the guest here." She frowned at him.
"Sure you can, if it's my idea." He got to his feet and held out a hand, looking like one of the heroes from her favorite old stories. "Come on, Queenie. You go to bed, I'll take care of all this stuff and get it back to your room."
"I don't know…" She took his hand despite her deliberation. "I don't want to waste my morning. I don't want to walk all the way over to my room, either."
He snickered. "Well there's an easy fix to that, Vania."
"Really?" She looked at him. "What is it?" Was he going to get her coffee, or something
He beckoned her a little closer, much to her heart's content. "Trust me. I can't make you sleep and not spend your whole morning doing it, but… I can bring you to your room."
So that was what he meant. "Well, okay." She came a little closer, wondering what he was going to do. "You're escorting me?"
"Something like that." He beckoned her just a little closer, into his personal space… what was he planning?
"Fine." She smiled, getting the last bit closer. When she was suitably close, though, he scooped her up in her arms, and she yelped in surprise. "Hey!"
He laughed, adjusting his grip around her. "Hey, stop struggling! You're only making this harder!"
"How was I supposed to know you'd do that?!" She laughed, holding on tight with her arms around his neck. "I'm gonna fall!"
"No you're not! Besides, I said I'd bring you to your room."
"I thought you meant you'd walk me there!"
"Nope. I'm carrying you." He grinned at her, holding her close to him, and she couldn't help relishing it. "Just relax, and enjoy the ride on Brookstone Airlines."
"FSM, you're such a dork." She laid her head against his shoulder, stifling another yawn. "Fine. Carry me there, Cole."
He chuckled. "I will." He tugged her a little closer. "Let's go. You need your sleep, tiny dancer."
"I am not tiny."
"Sure you aren't, Queenie."
Vania smiled and closed her eyes, relaxing into Cole's grasp. "Whatever." She knew he'd never let her fall. There was no doubt in her mind of what he would do; he would carry her, safe and sound, to her room. Then he'd probably bring back her shoes, too...
Her black, T-strap tap shoes. They'd been an escape for her for years. Would he want to join her, one day, or just watch?
Either way… maybe it would be fun. She wouldn't mind having him see her dancing.
Hello, friends! I bring you a short fic, as a gift to my friend, Chocolate X My Mouth! We were talking at length about Vania and how she would definitely enjoy tap dancing; this fic is the result. He's also doing part as an art trade! Nevertheless, this was a blast to write.
Leave me a review if you'd like! This story is a oneshot and is not intended to receive further updates.