DD gang goes to a ball and Matthew gets stunned by how Sveta looks for HarmonyBenderFreak!
Matthew had been uncomfortable. He had been anxious and sweating from fear and the pressure of the situation. All of them had been invited to a royal ball to celebrate Queen Sveta's successful rule. He hadn't seen her since they parted ways after the Eclipse. He had been 'busy' helping his father with the studies of Mt. Aleph and the Psynergy Vortexes. He had not written to her and had not responded to her letters.
His heart caught in his throat whenever he received one, and his face became redder than Tyrell whenever he was lectured. She always wrote the sweetest things and expressed her worries for him and told him stories of her kingdom. He never responded because he convinced himself they both had more important things to do, she was a queen and had a country to rule, and he was a hero's son with a duty to the world and its safety. Karis always asked if he wanted her to include anything when she responded on their behalf.
Then everything changed. He had been standing stock still alongside his rag-tag group of Adepts who saved the world from the Grave Eclipse, all of them dressed in formal wear distinctive to their origins. Then, Sveta entered.
Matthew's jaw dropped the moment he saw her. He was so accustomed to see her in her casual travelling gear with her hair done up in her twin braids. Her image had somewhat faded in his mind over the months without contacting her at all, mainly because of his own fears, she was a queen after all. Her hair was done and free, spilling down her back in delicate and meticulously worked curls. Even with their length hampered by the swirls her hair still reached to her lower back, a lavender sea of silk flowing around her shoulders and back.
He had never seen her in anything 'feminine' as such. So to see her in a dress, an extravagant purple ball-gown no less, had him completely stunned. Somewhere he registered amused chuckles from his friends at his side, but he couldn't focus really, not with the beautiful queen walking toward him. The flowing fabric of her dress flowed behind her, and it exposed much more of her than he was used to seeing.
Her arms, back, and from the knees down were left bare and revealed something he never knew about his beast-girl friend. She was marked. Tattoos of swirling spiralling patterns streamed across her limbs, all of them a varying shade of purple and lavender which seemed to blend into her fur. Matthew's eyes roved over the approaching body quickly, before realising eyes of many Beastmen and his friends were on him and his gaze jumped up to her face, which only made his jaw drop further.
He had forgotten how absolutely beautiful she was. Her vibrant green eyes, filled with every verdant colour of nature, were fixed right on him, piercing into his very soul. He found himself becoming lost in them as she drew nearer. When she was closer, he noticed the distinct pink tone behind her lavender-furred cheeks. This in turn made him see how wide her mouth was spread in a joyous smile, exposing several of her teeth to the room.
He coughed to try and regain himself, when she was no more than two feet away, realising now how much of a fool he must have looked to her. She giggled as he did, and he felt the heat in his cheeks intensify, her giggle was so… so cute.
"Everyone…" she said gently when she reached them, her voice calm and controlled, but still filled with immeasurable happiness.
Each of them returned their greetings and kind words. Matthew remained silent, still reeling. The others all splintered off to various parts of the hall to dance, or eat, or socialise, leaving Matthew alone with the queen.
"I'm sorry." He said, his first words to her since the day they last saw each other.
Sveta simply smiled, slipping her paw into his hand and squeezing it gently, "I'm just glad you're here now. I was worried."
"I'm sorry." He repeated weakly, "I have no excuse…"
She smiled again, leading him onto the dance-floor, "Then make it up to me. AND promise to write back from now on."
Meekly, the Venus Adept laughed, and after reaching the centre of the floor, began to dance with the beautiful queen. They moved around and spun and swirled to match the music, be it fast and exciting, or slow and loving.
"S-Sveta? Umm…"
The beastgirl 'hmm'd' in response.
"Umm… the… the reason I didn't write back…"
"It doesn't matter." She assured, her head resting on his shoulder as they slowly moved to the calming music.
"N-no, it does. Umm… I was telling myself it was because we have duties, you as a queen, me as my father's son… but that's not the truth."
Sveta brought her head up to look him in the eyes curiously. Her eyes seemed to calm him, make him realise what he was about to say was entirely true.
"I was afraid… afraid I would say or write something stupid, scare you off. And I never want to do that… I… I always want you in my life." He swallowed, noticing her eyes starting to shimmer in the light, "Having to part from you after our time together was so hard, and I know I could never stand it again… I love you, Sveta… I… I want to be with you."
"Matthew…" The girl in his arms purred softly, her cheeks more red than lavender now.
"I know it'll be hard, and that with you as roya-"
Matthew never got to finish his sentence, and he knew he would never need to voice the fears he was about to, as Sveta pressed her lips against his. Were he capable, he would have laughed into it, but he was so consumed by relief and love that he couldn't do anything but kiss her back.
Yeah, hope you liked it!