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“Seafoam?”
The array of jewelry and accent pieces the SeaWing had been idly toying with slipped from her talons, promptly abandoned, as a familiar voice, her voice, coaxed her out of her nervous reverie with a delicate grace like talons beckoning her forward. There was only one dragon who spoke her name like that, like it was a sweet melody woven into the air.
Seafoam turned to face the source, and in the dazzling ballroom, a radiant figure effortlessly entered her line of vision— her dearest friend (an understatement), wearing a toothy grin and a golden gown with complementary accessories that caught the ambient light in an effortless dance, so impeccably attuned to her essence that Seafoam was practically being slapped in the face. Hard. Civet stupefied her so easily that she could do nothing but stare, wholly and completely ensnared in a state of dumbfounded awe.
The elegant and intricate music, which had once seemed so resoundingly loud, now gracefully receded into comfortable background noise as Seafoam felt a gentle yet unwavering warmth creep onto her cheeks. Clutching firmly to the deep bluish-green fabric of her sleeve, she found herself unable to suppress the smile that split across her face.
“Civet?” she finally managed to get out. Was it always so hot in here?
Civet, with a smile impossibly even brighter than before, wasted no time making her way to Seafoam, practically tripping over herself with enthusiasm before pulling the SeaWing into the most bone-crushing hug she’d ever experienced.
Seafoam could only respond with a robotic embrace at first, her senses in momentary override as she blushed deeply. Eventually, though, her common sense kicked in and she tightened her hold in a desperate attempt to immortalize the moment, drowning happily in the warmth that was so undeniably Civet. Unfortunately, it did not last forever. Civet, with a decisive gesture, suddenly pushed Seafoam away to stare at her, the latter becoming acutely aware of the lack of distance between them. The proximity was making her head spin.
"Hi," Seafoam croaked out eloquently, her mouth forming a crooked half-grin.
Civet let out a long, incoherent groan in response, accompanied by a vigorous shake of Seafoam's shoulders.
“Hi!" she exclaimed, almost incredulously, "It's been way too long, I didn’t think you’d be here! I mean, I was hoping you would be but I wasn’t completely sure and then you were and it’s just… wow. You, um... clean up nice. It's very distracting.”
Seafoam met Civet's words with a soft smile, absorbing her usual way of speaking: unsure but loud, scrambled yet entirely intoxicating, just kind of staring at her mouth moving as she continued to ramble. She could listen to her talk forever. Her brain, entranced, was already short-circuiting before she even processed what the RainWing had said, focused more on taking in every quality of her that she’d missed so much, memorizing every detail of her face, than what she was actually talking about. Wait. Wait wait wait.
Seafoam’s eyes widened suddenly, the color spreading across her cheeks darkening noticeably and impossibly as her smile wobbled.
“Really?” she choked out.
Civet's response was only a soft gaze, a tender expression that left Seafoam feeling as if the ground beneath her was slipping away. Lightheaded, she teetered on the edge of consciousness, feeling as if she was on the verge of passing out or dropping dead entirely, right there on the spot.
“Well, for the record…” she began, a startling confidence materializing within her, “you're very distracting, too. Always have been."
Seafoam noticed, with a hint of satisfaction, that this caught Civet off guard for a fleeting moment.
"I mean, I think my first thought after meeting you was 'if this dragon asked me to marry her right now I would say yes, no hesitation,'" she continued, words tumbling from her mouth. "After 'my brother needs a punch in the face,' anyway."
She noticed the subtle shifts in the RainWing's expression (details she may have overlooked had she not been fervently immersed in every aspect of what made Civet uniquely herself), the way her grin fell and her brows raised slightly, perhaps even in the faint tint of pink gracing her features that may or may not have been there. But Civet recovered quickly, willing away the vivid, sappy colors appearing on her mood-changing scales and fixing her face, always ready to rapid-fire some sort of playful sarcasm back at her companion.
“Awww. Well alright, since I’ve got nothing to lose, maybe I will! Seafoam, my dearest, will y-”
The SeaWing responded with a lighthearted groan, deftly silencing her with a playful clamp of her snout with her talons as Civet started to mime a solemn proposal, dropping to one knee and presenting an imaginary ring box.
“You’re an idiot," Seafoam remarked, an unrestricted laugh escaping her.
“You love me.”
Conveniently choosing to ignore the warmth that surged through her face, Seafoam scoffed as her stomach fluttered in that mushy, familiar way. What she did not deny hung heavily in the air, an unspoken truth dancing tauntingly between them. Seafoam remained blissfully unaware of the brief, hopeful glance Civet cast her way.
Several months had slipped away since they parted, back to their respective kingdoms after that journey of a lifetime across the continent. Yet, like it was etched into their very beings, there was no escaping the undeniable truth: they still made each other feel the same way as they did then. Awfully, suffocatingly sweet.
“So what have you been up to?” Seafoam asks, at the same time Civet says, “Wanna dance, Foamy?”
And Seafoam cursed herself for the blush flooding over her face as she found herself staring stupidly for the umpteenth time that evening. She wasn’t sure if it was the endearing nickname, or that Civet wanted to dance with her, or the simple fact that Civet was here, standing before her in the first place. The reasons blurred, but their effect on Seafoam was unmistakable, her shaky legs threatening to give way from underneath her.
A shy smile met a wide one as she let Civet link their talons together, guiding her onto the dance floor.
Seafoam let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding as Civet's talons settled on her shoulders, all of the tension in her body evaporating in seconds. Despite the myriad of horrible things she'd been subjected to in her life, everything was easy as long as it was with Civet. Carefree. Perfect. It was an incredible feeling that wrapped itself around them like a comforting embrace.
“You okay?” Civet asked gingerly, misreading the SeaWing’s sigh.
“Absolutely,” Seafoam breathed, then barked out a laugh, genuine and real, before she succumbed to an overpowering impulse and spun Civet around several times. The RainWing's scales practically exploded in a riot of color, a vibrant kaleidoscope of rose pink and banana yellow.
Seafoam felt weightless, like she was floating. Walking on air, or something.
She couldn’t stop laughing or smiling because that was just how Civet made her feel. All the worries and troubles of the world faded into mere background noise as the profound realization enveloped her that she was here, dancing with the dragon who held her heart. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, she knew she must've looked ridiculously lovestruck, but honestly, she couldn't care less.
Another laugh escaped Seafoam, who was completely oblivious to how Civet looked at her. How she thought the light radiating from Seafoam’s rare, genuine smile easily rivaled the brilliance of the three moons casting their glow through the open ceiling.
And somewhere between the stolen glances and shared smiles, the lively music filling the air transitioned seamlessly into a slow, soft melody. Tension seized Seafoam, her talons hesitating over where they once rested on Civet's shoulders. Doubt clouded her mind– was this too much? Did Civet want this? Casual dancing may have been fine, but this intimately? The uncertainty gnawed at her.
Yet, Civet's talons found their place, settling gently where Seafoam's were hovering, a silent assurance that seemed to whisper, Yes, you silly oversized shark. I want this too.
Warmth enveloped the SeaWing, who fought back the shiver coursing through her at the overwhelming rightness of it all as they swayed to the rhythm, the world around them twirling in delicate motion.
“Civet?” Seafoam asked softly, tentatively, as if the universe hinged on that simple question.
“Seafoam?”
She brushed aside the fact that the way Civet said her name made her melt inwardly every time.
“This is scary.”
A beat.
“Yeah.”
In all fairness, Seafoam was navigating uncharted waters, a turbulent sea of emotion where the parameters of 'this' remained elusive. Despite her earlier proclamation that she'd readily marry Civet if she asked, this ordinary, mundane moment felt exceptionally fragile and real. The usual banter, sarcasm, and playful teasing had dissipated, leaving behind a raw authenticity that bared the feelings that remained unspoken. It was a moment of exposure. Vulnerability.
Anxious eyes make contact with each other, Civet's expression bizarrely and somewhat frighteningly devoid of her usual boisterous confidence.
The RainWing's grip on Seafoam’s shoulders drifted slowly, with cautious yet tender assurance as one set of talons found her waist and the other cradled the side of her face. And in that moment Seafoam became malleable, clinging to Civet as if she was a lifeline keeping her afloat in a flash flood of new and terrifying things. In the dimness of the ballroom, even if Civet couldn’t see her blush, she could certainly feel the warmth radiating from Seafoam's cheeks. And then the realization suddenly dawned on Seafoam— Civet was holding her face, and they were slow dancing. Together. This was reality, palpable and surreal.
She had to say something.
Seafoam exhaled shakily, anxiety coursing through her as she summoned every ounce of courage she had. Start slow, she reminded herself. You’ve got this. Tell her how you feel. Doesn’t matter if it’s incomprehensible, just get it out there. You have to. You might not have another chance like this.
Another breath, and her mouth opened for a fraction of a second before she clamped it shut. Idiot, you didn't say anything!
A silent countdown began to echo in her mind— 3… 2… 1… Go. Seafoam's heart threatened to leap out of her chest, she could feel it beating loudly in her ears.
Again. 3… 2… 1… Go. She urged herself forward. Go, Seafoam, for real this time. GO.
“Am I gonna see you again?”
“What?” Civet replied breathlessly as she stared up at Seafoam, tinges of yellow and pink still visible on her scales.
“After all this, after tonight. Will you visit me in the Sea Kingdom? Or I could come to the rainforest, or we could meet somewhere in the middle… will we see each other again?”
Civet seemed to pick up on the unspoken words, the ones Seafoam's wide, pleading eyes conveyed on their own: I miss you. I've missed you like crazy since we saw each other last, every second of every day, and I hate it. I hate it so much. I think of you constantly, wishing you were by my side to experience every little thing with me. I want to be around you all the time because you make me so happy it's not even funny and I can't imagine life without you. I need to see you again after this, after tonight.
The RainWing's gaze softened. "Oh. Well..." She took Seafoam's talons purposefully and linked them with her own, drawing her in like the tide yielding to the moon. Seafoam could feel the erratic beat of her heart, a rhythm Civet could probably feel too in the intimate space between them. “There’s kinda this girl in the Sea Kingdom," Civet confessed. "She’s awful and makes fun of me all the time but I kinda like her. She’s beautiful and smart and incredible all at the same time, even though she doesn't realize it herself, and even if I found everything I wanted across the continent, I think I’d at least come back to see her.”
Seafoam stood, dumbfounded and speechless, her face completely in flames now. She swallowed and broke their intense eye contact, her insides twisted into knots.
“Well, that’s embarrassing,” she blurted out a bit too loudly, instinctively teasing Civet to diffuse the tension before mentally scolding herself and circling back. “But… something tells me she likes you too. And… and I think she’d be extremely happy to see you… if you visited.”
Seafoam berated herself for how she stumbled over her words, but she was mostly proud of her ability to talk at all.
“Good. Cause I think I’d always come back for her,” Civet responded, pausing to carefully choose her words. “But… I wouldn’t have to if she came with me.”
“I think she’d go anywhere with you,” Seafoam said, almost too quickly. She didn’t even mean to, it was just true. The words practically fell out of her mouth. She’d leave the Sea Kingdom, no questions asked; she had no real responsibilities left there with the new heir finally taking over. Someone who wanted it more than she ever could've.
A shy but eye-reaching smile broke across Civet’s face, her cheeks flushing noticeably as she avoided direct eye contact.
“Great. I’ll hold her to that,” Seafoam said, allowing herself to smile, feeling light again. Despite the sweet and ambiguous conversation, though, she still hadn't tried to initiate the completely blunt, undeniable confession that needed to happen. The words weighing down on her tongue that longed to be uttered.
“Hey, Civet?”
Civet suddenly turned to look at her, and Seafoam forgot how to breathe. She suddenly became acutely aware of the crowd around them, the watchful eyes and silent observers.
"Want to, um, get some air?"
"Sure, Foamy."
Silently, with bated breath, the two made their way outside onto a spacious balcony. Seafoam took a deep breath, attempting to absorb the tranquil scenery and compose herself before diving into the confession that loomed like an undiscovered depth. The moons cast a soft reflection on the sea, painting the beach in hues of ethereal purple and blue. The warm, humid night air enveloped them in a comforting lull that would have been quite pleasant if not for the situation at hand.
Civet, her eyes expectant, stood beside Seafoam, who was trying very hard to ignore the way the moonlight accentuated the RainWing's face, how utterly beautiful she looked in this moment.
Now or never. Go for it. Go. Urrrrrghhhhh. Say something, Seafoam. SAY SOMETHING.
She took a deep breath, shaky as she evaded Civet’s intense gaze, "I'm... going to say it."
A pause as two heartbeats quicken with hopeful anticipation.
"I'm going to say what I've been wanting to tell you since, well, maybe forever. And... I'm mostly sure I'm reading this right and you know what it is. But if I'm not and you don't and it's uncomfortable and weird just pretend I didn't say anything, okay?"
Civet nodded furiously, her throat tightening as she swallowed. A tangible tension threaded itself through the air.
Seafoam, practically trembling with a mixture of anticipation and vulnerability, slowly met Civet's gaze. The RainWing's eyes, usually vibrant and confident, now betrayed a fascinating blend of emotions— a culmination of surprise, hope, nervousness, and an overwhelming amount of something more profound.
Something soft and gentle and fragile— like the flower petals you pluck one by one, desperately seeking some irrational reassurance that, by some miraculous alignment of fate, they feel the same— yet wonderful and exhilirating— the kind of feeling that compels you to stand atop the highest mountain peak and scream how you feel to the world.
Something that turns you into a dreamer, carefully crafting scenarios in your mind where you share stolen glances and whispered confessions, that inspires you to write letters filled with all the unspoken sentiments you fear expressing out loud. Something that makes you feel like you're floating on air when you catch a glimpse of their smile, that makes your heart swell in your chest when their gaze meets yours.
Something where vulnerability is embraced and acceptance is unconditional, that fuels the courage to embark on new adventures because you know that even in the unknown, you'll have each other. Something that motivates you to compromise and understand, to navigate the highs and lows together. Something that evokes a profound sense of contentment for the simple joy of having them by your side, turning the mundane into the happiest memories of your life.
A simple, four-letter word that captures the yearning to spend every precious waking moment with the one who has so effortlessly become the center of your universe.
The world around them seemed to blur as the tension lingered, both dragons suspended in the weight of the words they both knew were about to be spoken.
And there it was.
“I’m in love with you.”
The words were hanging in the air between them, and there was no taking them back.
Civet's eyes widened with disbelief, and Seafoam’s heart began to race somehow more uncontrollably. It felt like it was about to pound out of her chest, and her dress suddenly felt very suffocating. She ran her talons over the sail on her head. Too tight, too tight, why is it so warm out here, why did I just say that, I SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID THAT.
A soft sniffle suddenly escaped Civet as she fought back the persistent tears in her eyes, catching Seafoam's attention instantly. Concern etched across her features, she stepped slightly away from the RainWing.
"I'm so... I'm so sorry, I never should've..." Seafoam rambled, her voice frenzied and laced with worry.
Her eyes darted around, panic seizing her as she searched for a quick escape through the crowd of dragons inside. Maybe she could just jump off the balcony. Fly off and disappear forever. Yeah, that sounded good. She was in the middle of plotting her getaway before a teary-eyed grin practically erupted across Civet’s face, who had formerly looked like she was in a trance, and she realized everything was alright.
The RainWing placed her gentle talons over Seafoam's, grounding her in place.
Seafoam couldn't look away, staring in awe.
"Seafoam. Foamy. Hey. It's okay, everything's okay. Happy tears."