Chapter Text
“One of my older sisters is getting married.”
Kobeni skims over the invitation, fixing her gaze on the photograph of the happy couple-to-be. She wasn’t particularly close to this sister, so this was the first time she’d seen the fiancé’s face.
Seems like a well-off guy— our parents must be very pleased.
With a weary sigh, she reaches out to set the card on the coffee table and lets her head rest back against Makima’s lap. The view of Makima’s face was obscured behind the book she was holding, and there wasn’t anything too exciting about the ceiling of her own apartment. So, she closes her eyes, focusing on the thin fingers methodically running through her hair.
Makima hums impassively, adjusting her grip on the book to thumb to the next page. Idly twirling Kobeni’s still-slightly-damp hair around the fingers of her other hand. After a long, hot summer day, nothing sounded better than just curling up here on the couch.
“Are we going to the wedding?”
Shrugging lazily —the best she can in this position— Kobeni begins,
“Well, I have to go. You d-don’t need to…”
Despite having tried to casually bring it up, she ends up trailing off in a far more conspicuous display.
After a few moments without further explanation, Makima lifts her hand from Kobeni’s head, letting it hover just above. The tone of her voice not stern, but certainly uncompromising,
“‘I don’t need to’, but…?”
Kobeni glances up in protest, knitting her brows into something of a pout.
“It’s nothing really… But it’s- well, there’s gonna be a lot of p-people there, and the only ones I’m gonna know are my parents…”
And just because we’re on speaking terms these days doesn’t mean it’d be pleasant conversation…
When Makima only tilts her head expectantly, Kobeni reaches up to gently touch her wrist.
“So, it’d- um, it’d make me happy if you could be there…”
Apparently satisfied with that answer, Makima allows her hand to settle back on Kobeni’s head with a small pat.
Nothing about attending a wedding sounds particularly appealing…
But there was really no scenario in which she was going to refuse anyways.
“I suppose that could be arranged.”
By way of a silent “thank you”, Kobeni offers a big, sleepy grin. Curling up in a way that —already dressed in her red fleece pajamas— looked like she could fall asleep at any minute.
“It could actually be kinda fun…! The reception’s gonna be Western-style, so I need a dance partner anyways.”
Kobeni’s head rocks forward slightly as, beneath her, Makima’s legs momentarily tense up.
“Oh, there will be dancing? That’s a surprise.”
Going off voice alone, she sounds as collected as ever. But her reluctance did not escape notice.
“Again, it’s fine if you don’t want to…”
Stretching her arms out with a quiet groan, Kobeni sits up. The faintest hint of a teasing grin on her lips as she laments,
“They’ll p-probably just have me dance with some random guy, so it’d b- “
“No, I’ll do it.” Makima interjects too quickly. The book in her hand completely forgotten as her attention is snapped away.
They both knew it was a total bluff— Kobeni would be mortified having to go along with some stranger. But even saying it in jest,
That’s an unacceptable outcome.
The not-so-subtle smile on Kobeni’s face widens as she braces her shoulder against the couch to face Makima directly.
“You make it sound so serious…! Do you really- just, hate dancing that much?”
I get it’s not really her scene, but…
Makima purses her lips.
“I don’t dislike dancing. It’s only…”
She considers trying to skirt around the topic, but there wasn’t much hope for that after having so readily volunteered. Suddenly finding her book very interesting again, she brings it back up to her face as she concedes,
“… I haven’t had many opportunities to try it.”
A weight settles on each of her legs after Kobeni scrambles over, propping herself up to stare at Makima incredulously.
“Y-you don’t know how to dance?! I mean, you haven’t…— Oh, oh then I can teach you!”
Without waiting for an answer (and without a trace of her earlier drowsiness), Kobeni takes ahold of Makima’s hand and, scooting back off the couch, pulls her to her feet.
Or attempts to, anyways. Despite Kobeni’s deceptive strength, Makima doesn’t budge.
“It can’t be that difficult,” she says dismissively, salvaging what dignity she can from this situation,
“I’ll figure it out when we get there.”
And that was probably true— it was almost frustrating how easily Makima picked up new things. But in this case, Kobeni did have one advantage:
“If you don’t learn it now, you’ll have to follow my lead at the wedding.”
The room falls silent. Makima stares intensely in a way that, some time ago, would have reduced Kobeni to a trembling mess. She instead looks almost giddy as Makima finally relents, allowing herself to be pulled upright.
“It’ll be easy, I promise— we’ll start slow!”
Letting Makima’s hand slip away, Kobeni scrolls through her phone for music, ultimately settling on some orchestral piece she’d never heard.
As she sets it on the coffee table, she looks up to find Makima having not moved a step. Almost petulant in demeanor.
Kobeni reaches out her hand invitingly, and Makima reciprocates, accepting her fate with an inward sigh,
Really no other option when she looks so excited about it.
There wasn’t terribly much room in Kobeni’s apartment, but they find an open-enough space between the living room and kitchen.
“Okay, so your hand goes… here!” Kobeni says brightly, leading Makima’s arm around her own shoulder.
“-And I’m… here!” She follows up, as her hand holds light against the small of Makima’s back.
Raising an eyebrow at the sudden touch, Makima teases knowingly,
“Ah, now I see your angle.”
Dipping down to Kobeni’s level, like a snake bearing down on its prey, she suggests in a low voice, “If that’s what you were after, surely it would have been easier to just- “
“That’s-! No, it’s um- That’s j-just how it’s done!”
Kobeni stammers out a (wholly unnecessary) defense, adverting her eyes as she futilely fights back a blush. As casually as she can manage, she diverts,
“A-anyways, we’re just gonna start with following the music...”
Having had her fun, Makima reluctantly pulls back, allowing Kobeni to set the pace. The song is a litany of horns and strings, bold, brassy proclamations met with subdued, melodic replies, coaxing them into a steady sway. Nothing complicated— slow and comfortable.
And a touch dull, Makima adds mentally.
After a few moments of this, Kobeni announces, “Okay, now we’re gonna just…- “
With a little pressure on their clasped hands, she steps forward, and Makima (to her credit) matches a backwards step with minimal resistance. Taking one more pace forward before shuffling to the side, the two fall into a easy four-step loop.
It’s actually kinda bizarre.
In all her excitement, Kobeni hadn’t fully considered what it would be like, sensing the subtle strength in Makima’s hand —as if her very body was a great, irresistible force— and feeling it yield to her slightest whims. Admittedly (though by no means out loud), it’s a little exciting.
Despite her earlier protests, Makima studies the steps intently, the concentration slightly furrowing her brows. Kobeni watches her thoughtful expression with endearment.
She’s so impossibly pretty when she’s focusing on something…
It was certainly a little clumsy at first, but she’s picking it up quickly. So quickly, in fact…
“Hey, Makima, y-you’re following me, remember...?”
Makima’s head snaps up, apparently in genuine surprise.
“Oh, right, excuse me.”
Slackening her grip, Makima falls back into Kobeni’s step. Sharing a sheepish smile, they successfully go through a few cycles before, once again, Makima slowly begins to pull ahead.
Well, it was fun while it lasted.
“Okay, okay, you can take the lead!”
Making play at being annoyed, Kobeni lets her arms drop to her sides with a huff. It’d be more convincing without the smile.
In truth, Makima hadn’t hated this.
Even letting Kobeni take charge was… novel. But, well…
Slipping an arm far around Kobeni’s waist, Makima suddenly pulls her close (in doing so, earning herself a small squeak of surprise).
… This is far more to my taste.
There’s an appeal to holding your distance— letting the tension and anticipation build. Makima, if anyone, understood that perfectly well. But there’s also no need to lure in what already belongs to you.
After getting over the initial shock, Kobeni manages to recuperate, deciding to rest her head against Makima’s shoulder as they start again. Stifling a chuckle, Kobeni asks,
“All better?”
“It is.”
She didn’t seem particularly ashamed.
At the wedding, they’ll likely have more room to move around. There might even be live music. Makima is still deciding what dress she’d most like to see Kobeni in, but it’ll be something lovely, no doubt.
And yet, comparing that to a cramped apartment, uninspired ballroom music coming through a cheap phone speaker, and Kobeni in an old t-shirt cozied up against her, it would be a tough act the follow.
After a time, pressed up against the warmth of Makima’s body with her eyes closed, Kobeni finds herself starting to nod off again.
Don’t really want to stop just yet though…
Lifting her head and tapping on Makima’s shoulder, Kobeni energetically suggests,
“Okay, now let’s do something faster!”
With Makima’s leave, she retrieves her phone to pick out something lively— an old jazz song her mother showed her once.
“This time you’ll just- um, you’re mirroring me! I’m just gonna show you the steps real quick...!”
Bounding back into place, she retakes Makima’s hands, this time held at chest height between them.
After bobbling along with the snappy drum beat for a few measures, Kobeni pulls back a couple of steps before rushing back forward like the rhythm of an ocean tide. Makima watches her steps studiously but glances up at times to glance at Kobeni’s beaming face.
This is just for fun at this point, isn’t it?
“So, for this one, you can do stuff like… this!”
Kobeni gets up on her toes to arc one arm over Makima’s head and spin her around, pulling taut before doing the motion again in reverse. She couldn’t say for certain, but for a moment it looked as though Makima was smiling as she ducked under their arms.
“And at this part, you let go with that hand… spin, spin, and…!”
Following along, Makima allows Kobeni’s arm to tangle around her waist until they are face-to-face again.
This one seems simple en— Ah!
She nearly gasps aloud as Kobeni carries their momentum forward, letting Makima fall back into a low dip. The only thing beneath her and the ground was the hand against her back. Momentarily unable to summon words, she can only look up to Kobeni with a mix of accusation and surprise.
This reaction must have been expected. Kobeni simply grins, saying,
“I wouldn’t let you fall.”
She wasn’t even struggling to hold her up.
This girl…! How can she be such a nervous wreck and then out of nowhere be so…
Makima averts her eyes, the redness in her cheeks easily explained away by the blood rushing to her head.
“Just pull me back up.”
As easily as she had let her down, Kobeni brings Makima back on her feet (but not quite letting go). Looking at her face, Kobeni did now seem a touch anxious. The whole maneuver had been on impulse so,
I really hope that wasn’t too much…
“So… want a turn...?”
It looked as though Makima had a great deal to say about that move of hers but, strangely enough, she hesitates. Instead, after taking a deep breath, she slips her hands back into Kobeni’s, squeezing gently.
“I don’t think I have it down quite yet. Show me one more time.”