Work Text:
Sway - ‘move or cause to move slowly or rhythmically from side to side’
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Katsum nervously shifted, her fingers curling through the fabric of her dress, “I’m not so sure about this…”
Aymeric chuckled warmly, “I thought you were a Dancer. You trained with those of Troupe Falsiam from Thavnair, did you not?”
“That kind of dancing is far different than this!”
He laughed, turning to glance her way as he turned the dials on the orchestrion to find a suitable song, “Come now, my love. There is no reason to worry. I will lead you through it, I promise. Just as I did on our wedding day.”
Katsum’s ears fell back as she laughed, “Oh Heavens, don’t remind me. It was so crowded in the ballroom. And I was so nervous. I was afraid I would mess up in front of all of those people!”
“So…you did not enjoy it then?” She met his gaze quickly, seeing a sadness flicker through his eyes.
“No! W-What I meant was-…” She sighed and shook her head, “I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant.”
He smiled patiently at her, turning the dial a final time and turning it on. A soft and slow melody filled the parlor, and she immediately recognized it as the very song they danced to that day. The raven-haired Elezen turned back to her and stepped towards her slowly, his smile as warm as it always was, “I only remember looking at you and everything else in that room faded away.” He stopped just in front of her and reached out a hand to brush back a stray hair from her face, “Perhaps I was nervous too when we first stepped out in front of all those eyes, yet when I turned to you and saw how you looked to me, nothing else mattered. Only that I did not fail you as I guided you through our dance.”
A shy smile spread across her face as her gaze dropped to the floor, toying with the fabric a bit more, “Well, you certainly did not.”
“So you did enjoy it then? Good,” He held out his hand to her and she looked up curiously, “Because you promised me another dance.”
Katsum frowned, remembering, “I did, didn’t I? Just before we were pulled into a conversation with the twins and I said we would ‘in a moment’…which never came,” Her ears dropped as she frowned, “I’m sorry, Aymeric.”
“There is no need to be. ‘Twas a busy day and an eventful evening with many lords and ladies begging for our attention. But, as I have been waiting for said dance ever since,” He stepped back into a graceful bow, a wide smile on his lips and a twinkle in his eye, “My lady, would you please grant me the honor of a dance?”
Katsum could feel the warmth spreading over her face, “Must you always be so poetic?”
“Words are my tool of trade, so indeed, I must,” He gestured to his hand again, an expectant air to his movements as he waited.
Katsum took a deep breath, moving to shakingly curtsy to play along, “Well…I suppose I have kept you waiting long enough,” Her fingers trembled as she took his hand, feeling his fingers slowly close on hers as he gently pulled her close. She followed his lead and moved against him, feeling his other hand rest against her waist and she responded by placing her free hand on his shoulder. Her tail twitched as she nervously looked about them at the furniture, wondering if they had the room to dance here.
“Kat~,” Her blush darkened at the way he spoke her name, “Look at me.” She obeyed and nervously looked up, meeting his endearing gaze and almost melting, “Look only at me, and think of nothing else.”
She shakingly breathed and nodded, “Ok.”
Aymeric smiled, bringing their entwined hands to his lips to kiss the back of hers. Katsum felt the hand on her waist gently push her body forward, and she followed, moving into a gentle sway with her husband across the floor. She could feel her feet shifting nervously, afraid she would step on his shoes each time they moved, or worse entangle their feet and make them both fall. He must have seen the swarm of thoughts in her eyes because his smile widened and he pulled her closer to his body and suddenly sped up the dance. She blinked in surprise when he let her body go, guiding her with her hand to spin out away from him before he pulled her back in, drawing her flush against him where he could ghost his lips on her forehead. Around they went again, the skirt of her dress flowing around them as Aymeric guided her across the parlor. Katsum scarcely had a moment to breathe when he bid her spin in front of him again, her dress skirt fanning out around her before he pulled her back in and she gasped as he lifted her up by her hips and spun them around. He chuckled at her shocked expression and a soft giggle escaped her lips as he brought her back down and back into their sway across the floor.
Onward they danced, and Katsum kept her gaze locked with his, finally feeling the world fade away around them until she only saw him. Only the soft melody of the music played around them as they waltzed across the room, just a man and a woman in love, dancing without a care in the world. She closed her eyes and let him guide her forth, moving close to lean her head against him and feeling him lay his against hers too as he slowed their dance. He released her hand and moved to hold her waist, hugging her close to him as he swayed their bodies together.
Aymeric sighed happily, whispering softly in her feline ear, “Ah, there you are, my love. Now worry no longer plagues thee.”
Katsum held to his coat, leaning into him completely as she sighed, “I remember now, that first dance between us. I remember I was so frightened standing in front of everyone. It had been so long since I danced with anyone like that…and even then I never properly learned everything. I was so unsure what to do…and then I looked at you and…” She shyly met his gaze, a light dusting of a blush on her cheeks as her ears twitched nervously, “The way you smiled and took my hand…and led me across the floor. It was like you were the prince, and I was the lucky girl who has just happened to catch your eye.”
His loving smile nearly made her faint as he leaned down to her, “I think it is quite the opposite, for it is you who are the princess - nay, the queen - and I who is the lucky one. Of all the men in Ishgard, in Eorzea, you chose me, a parentless knight with a name that was not his to begin with. ‘Tis truly a miracle.”
Katsum lifted a hand to caress his cheek as she moved more confidently and drew near to his lips, “If you think I care about titles and social standings, you are mistaken.”
He laughed, “I know you don’t, yet here in the Holy See, it was all anyone ever knew…until you came and opened our eyes and our hearts.” He ghosted a light kiss on her lips, moving away slightly and grinning as she chased him, “I must be the luckiest man in all the world, for how did I come to win your love over so many others?”
Her answer held no hesitation, “By simply being you.” She stood up on the tips of her toes and kissed him and he followed her this time he accepted, holding her close to him to keep her from losing her balance. When they pulled away, they smiled brightly at each other and Katsum laughed as Aymeric pulled them back into their dance across the room.