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This night was an unusual one. It was just her and White Lily in the company's training room, practicing choreography that White Lily had asked her to cover with her. Work was so busy lately that the only time they had time to practice was in the later hours of the night, when the rest of their group was sound asleep. She could also be getting her valuable beauty sleep right now, but... something in her told her to forsake it for her sake. Right, her.
White Lily, who appeared graceful and elegant to the uninitiated, was having a grand old time doing somersaults on the hard concrete floor. You know, she didn't have even the slightest bit of an idea of what they could have been doing before that led up to this very moment. Maybe there was no 'reason'; White Lily often followed the whims of her curiosities. Maybe she was curious about how a somersault felt, and decided to attempt it? It wasn't as if she was wearing the proper clothes to do somersaults, if there were any, but maybe that was Golden Cheese's fault. The white-haired singer ran out of clean clothes, so Golden Cheese lent her clothes. A simple T-shirt and shorts that were perhaps shorter than what she was used to. The scandals that would erupt if someone saw her doing somersaults in those shorts at the wrong angle...!
Would she herself be ashamed? Probably not. Who would, with a body like hers? One that looked like it was sculpted from marble? Please.
But obviously, her teammate wasn't thinking about any of this. Having the time of her life just rolling around like the floor like a roly-poly, the break they were supposed to be having was nearly up. With a snort, she tried to alert White Lily to the timer that was about to finish. "Um, Lils..."
Kind burgundy eyes looked up at her from her position mid-somersault. Her braid was coming out of the messy bun she stuffed it in, most likely from the somersaults. "Yes?"
"It's time to-" And just like that, the alarm blared from her phone. She pressed the button to turn off the horrible sound, loud and intrusive and foreign. It was truly the pinnacle of sound design; made to alert, to alarm, to tell her when to eat and sleep and wake up. She could change it; her phone already had many predownloaded ringtones, but... she had a formula. It was how she avoided going back home empty-handed and disappointing her family. What got her up was the threat of her sibling's future being thrown away, which motivated her no longer. "As I was about to say, break time's over. I hope you didn't sprain yourself somewhere doing all those twirls, treasure."
She flipped herself back right-side up. "Are you saying I don't know how to do a somersault?"
"To be honest, you were floundering a bit-"
"That's only because the floor is hard," White Lily replied defensively. The concrete floor of the practice room probably wasn't the best place to have an impromptu gymnastics session. "I'd like to see you do one, Marigold."
She didn't even know what she was getting into. "Let me do you one better." Her left leg slid behind her right one, and was lifted into the air as she reached toward the floor. Toes pointed, her right foot came up into the air and descended just as quickly, the order of her feet now reversed. A perfect cartwheel. A proud smirk filled her face as she bragged. "See?"
White Lily laughed. "My Goldie is a massive show-off." She stood up and walked closer to her, looking inquisitively at the spot she had just cartwheeled away from. "Can you teach me?"
"If we do it here, you might crack your skull open on the floor! Pure Vanilla won't ever let me live it down if you come back with a gash in your head."
"Nonsense," She said, eyes sparkling and looking at her like she personally made the world turn every single day. It made Golden Cheese's heart do its own huge, happy cartwheel. "I think he'd be understanding of the circumstance."
"He was already hesitant to let us be out so late," She huffed. "Now imagine if he learned we were not training as we said we were and instead sitting around and doing cartwheels."
"We got smoothies before we came, which we would get in trouble for anyway..?"
"He's not supposed to know about that! And we'd both be in hot water for that, not just me."
"Oh, so you don't want to be the only one to bear the brunt of Pure Vanilla's disappointment?"
"His eyes get so sad whenever everyone acts wrongly. He gets this pitiful look on his face that practically screams, 'You could do better.’ You can't ask me to go through that alone!"
"He does get that sad look," White Lily affirmed with a thoughtful expression. "What about when we get home?"
"Only if we finish learning the dance today. Hollyberry wouldn't even care if we busted her furniture." She'd probably just laugh it off like she did when she learned she had to buy it. The company didn't provide any furnishings when they first moved in, so she took it upon herself to order them all the nice furniture, silverware, and decor, along with anything else they would need. She bought them special memory-foam beds, so they didn't have to sleep on cheap cots, and acted like it was nothing. Such wealth was something to aspire to; boundless, generational wealth tied to bloodlines and history. Golden Cheese wanted a life like that. She would make a life like that, even if it killed her.
"Deal." Golden Cheese didn't know why White Lily wanted to learn it from her specifically, especially when they both knew she could just as easily watch a video tutorial. That's how she fixed their microwave, repaired the shower, and stopped the sink's leaky faucet. She took to the instructions like a duck to water. "So are we starting from the beginning, or from where we left off?"
"From where we left off. No need to go over the parts we already know." They were going to finish learning this dance tonight, and she knew it just by the determined tone of White Lily's voice. Might as well give up on sleep.
But to her surprise, the time went by both faster and slower than she thought. They went through step by step with precise focus, one after the other, and finished the song by one in the morning when she thought that it would take at least an hour and a half more. But after perfecting the last step, the only thing left was to connect all of the steps together like pieces of a perfect puzzle. "One more time," Golden Cheese smiled. "But really? All of this... for a mere cartwheel?"
"For many cartwheels," White Lily corrected. "Once I learn how, I can do as many as I wish. And it's for us, too. We rarely get time to ourselves, and now it's finally just us." She was right. They were all so busy with photoshoots, performances, interviews, and travelling that the group was rarely separated. And that was fine; she liked her coworkers, but she liked moments like this even more. The type of environment that exposed whispered secrets and vows only for their ears to hear.
White Lily was the only one who knew some of the truths about her, not all of them, but more than everyone else. She only knew the tip of her iceberg of deception, and as bad as Golden Cheese felt about it, she lied to everyone else, too. It wasn't personal, but it was. She had built her personality and image on a desperate lie; there was no way she could go back now. If they knew, they would look at her differently, and she wouldn't be able to take it.
"We should do this more often," she replies with a smile that didn't reflect the thoughts spinning around in her head. "Though I don't know if I'll be able to survive staying awake this late every night."
"You'll be able to survive tonight," White Lily says proudly. "Thanks to my wonderful creation." She walked over to her green bookbag with silly charms hanging off the zippers, sitting against the wall, and grabbed a suspicious-looking jug out of it. Sadly for Golden Cheese, she already knows what's in it: White Lily's special lemonade. What made this lemonade special? The amount of caffeine inside could potentially kill someone (even if she claimed it had a 'zero percent mortality rate'). She drank so much coffee during her days as a student that now drinking too much made her sick, so this abomination was created to bypass her body's way of protecting itself from further harm.
"Oh no no no," Golden Cheese stammered, fear evident in her tone. "I don't need that, but thank you." The lemonade was scarily tasty, nearly addictive, and very convenient for when they had all gotten some less-than-stellar hours of sleep. What was inconvenient, however, was how it would make her vibrate off the walls, even as her usually stable wings trembled and shook. Witches knows how she got that much caffeine, but it might have something to do with those mysterious packages she had delivered nearly every month. "Aren't we almost done, anyway?"
"Let's finish up, then," She said, as she waterfalled a bit of the Death Lemonade into her mouth. She nearly spilled it on herself, fumbling with the heavy jug full of liquid. She had her own water bottle, why didn't she just fill it up...? The jug was then put back where it belonged in her bookbag. "One more go!"
"One more," Golden Cheese parroted, slightly excited to soon return to her bed. "From the top." The two of them scrambled into the beginning formation, with her standing confidently in front of White Lily, hands on her hips.
"Alexa," White Lily called out to the AI assistant. Apparently, all the choreographers were tired of using their phones to play music, so the company purchased a device to make training easier. "Press play."
The AI confirmed the request, and the intro of the song started. Their bodies moved like clockwork along with the beat. And just for a single blessed moment, Golden Cheese let muscle memory guide her movements instead of her mind. Not for long--she didn't want to have to start over--but just enough to let her brain breathe. She had forgotten how cathartic dancing was when you weren't under the scrutiny of a thousand eyes; how freeing it felt to express with your body instead of your mouth. Outside, on the stage, those eyes would judge her. Tear her apart for each mistake. But here... here there was nothing like that. There was only herself and White Lily.
Did you hide your heart in the foggy rain? Did your heart get wet in the rain of dust? Is your heart behind the clouds? Did you hide your heart to play around?
The first verse started, and the lyrics began. When she was still training, a teacher taught her that every expression had to be meaningful and convey the meaning of the lyrics. To really understand the meaning, one had to dissect and analyze them. But she couldn't decide for the life of her what this song was about. And to be honest, she didn't know why White Lily chose it. She hadn't heard it before this, not on the radio or on any social media. It had a weird and experimental instrumental melody, but strange, playful, and almost romantic lyrics. It reminded her of playground love, and those kids who would playfully get married but be surprisingly serious about it. Unsurprisingly, even she had been proposed to back then; she still remembered the simple, hastily-made clay ring shoved in her face that day. The indents in the clay from fingerprints hadn't been smoothed out yet, and it was barely dry, but a small shard of cloudy quartz sat on top, surrounded by a circle of pebbles. It showed a clear sign of care and admiration, and for that, she had accepted even though she didn't feel anything for the boy. Even though she wished for gold instead of clay, and diamonds instead of quartz. Even from a young age, she craved valuable things...
Other than you, I can’t look anywhere else; you know me well.
Our beautiful love cannot be rained on, our beautiful love cannot be blind
Finally, the chorus. It was catchy, catchy enough that she caught herself humming it the other day while making a snack for herself. The moves only intensified slightly from the pre-chorus, and her footwork was flawless yet again. Her timing was impeccable, transitions smooth, and expressions vibrant. As always, she was putting on a brilliant and flawless performance, even if it was only the two of them. In fact, the person she wanted to impress the most was also dancing with her, smiling at her, moving in sync with her like parts of a well-oiled machine. Moments like these... must surely be the most precious.
Protect my heart so no one can come in, if I fill my heart with you, I hope it won’t fill with tears.
It didn't surprise her at all that White Lily caught the hearts of so many people. She noticed the way Pure Vanilla smiled at her with a look in his eyes that showed an emotion he would never voice. Many others fell victim to her meek heart and strange allure, and all the while, the object of their affections was always painfully oblivious. White Lily knew about romance and love, but she didn't pay much attention to those things. She'd much rather scrapbook, read, study, or make another exploding volcano with vinegar and baking soda. (Pure Vanilla says this is an upgrade from the 'disruptive' experiments they did while they were in school.)
Once—and only once—they had talked about what kind of person White Lily would eventually date. Golden Cheese thought it would have to be someone smart and knowledgeable, but not cocky about it; someone who could understand the material of all the thick, heavy books she read. Definitely someone with a decent moral compass, and that could hopefully bake a cake flavor that she could finally take more than two bites of. It would be nice to have someone who could make her go to sleep and hide the big jug of Death Lemonade from her sometimes... Golden Cheese has found herself outsmarted by White Lily many a time, even if she was just looking out for the other's heart and kidneys.
In your hidden heart, a sign of hope is there,
However, White Lily had disagreed with most of it. She said that if her potential partner understood all of her books, then they'd always be discussing and debating their contents, which would put a lot of stress on the relationship. And that kind, honorable, and generous people with a good moral compass shine the brightest in her eyes. Golden Cheese could understand that, but it still made her embarrassed to be so wrong. White Lily had just laughed, saying that what people want and what they need are often entirely separate from each other. It was never brought up again after that.
In your locked heart, release me.
And why would it be? There was more to life than potential love, and they each had their own hobbies and interests that they could ramble on about forever. (There was no denying it; she was especially chatty when it came to her treasures!) She barely understood the theories and sciences White Lily was enamored with, but she could listen and ask questions. Finding love wasn't her life's focus, but... that didn't mean it couldn't happen, right?
You leaving cannot be part of a memory; you can’t leave me.
Fulfill your promise that you made with my heart, If I fill my heart with you, I hope it won’t fill with tears.
The song was finally over, and they had a flawless run. After the last pose was hit and the music stopped, Golden Cheese collapsed to the ground, letting her body go limp on the cold floor. "We did it," she panted, surprising herself with how out of breath she was. "We did it!"
"That was perfect," White Lily praised, a smile filling her face. "I mean, I'm halfway sure my mind blanked out somewhere in the middle, but-"
"Shhh," Golden Cheese shushed her. "We did great. Tomorrow, we'll record it. For now..." She stretched her arms out wide and sighed. "We head home and go to sleep!"
"You only have yourself to blame if you forget the choreography overnight."
"Won't happen!"
"If you say so," She smiled knowingly as if she could predict the future!
"All I ask for is to have some faith in me, geez..."
The two settled into comfortable silence as they tidied the practice room and packed up their things. Seeing as they were coming back tomorrow, White Lily left her bookbag and large jug of Death Lemonade behind. Golden Cheese would be happier about that if she didn't know that there was an emergency stash somewhere in the apartment; just the thought of it caused a frustrated huff to slip out while she reset the building's security alarms.
"Is it done?" The other girl called out, waiting for her to say that she could push those double glass doors open.
"Yes, but wait for me!" She skittered to White Lily's side, pouting as the other snickered.
"My muscles are definitely going to be sore tomorrow," sighed White Lily as the two stepped into the crisp nighttime air.
Golden Cheese just laughed. "That's just proof of good work! Although you should take a cold shower when you get home. It wouldn't do to be sore while working."
"That would be unpleasant..." As they continued to walk, she noticed that White Lily's blinking was growing slower. Like, is it even a blink anymore if your eyes are closed for more than ten seconds? It was clear that her tiredness was catching up to her, and she couldn't let the other drink more of the Death Lemonade. She stopped abruptly, letting White Lily walk a few steps ahead until she opened her eyes again and realized Golden Cheese was no longer leading her.
She watched, slightly amused, as White Lily confusedly looked around for her, only to smile again when she realized that the one she was looking for was behind her all along. Her smile was cute, but tired. "Don't play such cruel tricks, Goldie."
"Not my fault in the slightest," she replied, catching up with the other girl. "I was waiting to see how long you would walk on autopilot before you realized I wasn't there."
"Maybe I am more tired than usual... I don't know why, though-"
"Letmecarryyou." The words came out faster and more nervously than she intended, her voice temporarily losing its usual posh confidence. "Oh- I mean, I'm strangely full of energy right now, and I slept through the time I was supposed to exercise today. It would be nothing to give you a piggyback ride back to the apartment." It wasn't a lie; she had slept through her morning exercises, and she was still wide awake—indeed, one could even say invigorated—despite the late hour. And now that she wasn't living out in the desert anymore, her toned muscles wouldn't keep themselves! They, like everything else, were simply a tool to help her shine even brighter.
"Huh? Are you sure? I wouldn't want to inconvenience you. It's my own fault for drinking so much lemonade when I know I'm more sensitive to caffeine now..."
"It's nothing, truly!" She knelt down so White Lily could climb on, folding her wings close to her back. "You were going to slow us down, stumbling along like that."
"I was not," White Lily denied, but climbed on Golden Cheese's back, who then hooked her arms around White Lily's legs and stood up to continue their journey. "Are you happy now?"
"I could go for some nachos, but other than that, I'm golden!"
"You and that pun again..."
"It's clever, isn't it? Of course, there will never ever be a time when I will not be golden."
"There'd be a higher chance of you going bald."
"I have the perfect head shape to go bald; satisfyingly round and just the right size. I'd be even more of a killer with no hair!"
White Lily laughed, voice lifted into a teasing tone. "Then... I guess we could say the same thing about your brain, right? Round, average-sized, and we can't forget smooth, too."
"HEY!"
"What? You said it first."
"My brain has plenty of wrinkles, thank you very much."
"Of course," White Lily yawned, resting her head on the arms wrapped around Golden Cheese's neck. "Your hair smells nice."
Golden Cheese was no stranger to compliments. Everyone always went on and on about how beautiful and radiant she was, using such flowery words that it would put the greatest poet in the world to shame. She was used to it by now, and yet just those four words made her face heat up, and her heart flutter. So she continued on in silence, unsure of what to say. Of course, she should just play it off with a laugh like she always did, radiating pure confidence. But now, even if she spoke, she wasn't sure that the words she meant to say would be the ones that tumbled out of her mouth. That was fine, though, because her friend was half-asleep by now. It wouldn't be good to disturb her rest.
Their walk home was unremarkable and blessedly short. The breeze was nice and not too cold, making the journey pleasant. It would've been even faster if she had flown, but her wings were pinned to her back by the warm body clinging to her. It was harder to fly with an additional passenger, anyway, and she would never forgive herself if she dropped White Lily from high in the sky. Her brain chose the worst 'what if' scenarios to torment her with, and the only reprieve she got was in knowing that something like that could never happen.
In the blink of an eye, she was at their apartment door. She debated waking up White Lily so she could put her down and unlock it, but the lazy side of her suggested just trying the door first, even though they never left it unlocked. So using the edge of her dominant hand's fingers, she pushed down on the doorknob, both surprised and cautious to see it open.
Pure Vanilla must've stayed up waiting for them.
Skeptically, she walked inside, looking towards the couch, only to see an unamused Pure Vanilla sitting there with a cup of tea. Before the soft aroma even hit her, she knew it was his favorite chamomile and vanilla flavor. They were out too late again, weren't they...? He looked at her suspiciously, but his face shifted to something more understanding when he saw White Lily on her back. He didn't say anything as Golden Cheese moved towards the bedroom door decorated with lilies, pushing the door open slightly and going inside.
It took some careful maneuvering to not wake White Lily up while getting her off her back and onto the bed, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. She had four siblings after all, this used to be a semi-normal occurrence. Of course, she was working with smaller bodies then, but it was the same technique no matter the size. No shoes on the bed, so she removed White Lily's shoes and neatly sat them beside the bed. She might get cold, so Golden Cheese tucked her in, too. After proudly looking over her work, she should have left.
Against her better judgment, she sat on White Lily's bed and softly brushed the stray hairs away from her face. And if her fingers lingered for longer than necessary and her gaze was a bit too intense for a 'friend'... that was only her business, right? Eventually—reluctantly—she got up and left, not daring to look back as she closed her bedroom door.
If she taken just one glance back, maybe she would've noticed the wide, curious burgundy eyes locked on where she had just left.
Fulfill your promise that you made with my heart,
If I fill my heart with you, I hope it won’t fill with tears.