Nozomi stands in the doorway, as Umi completes a final spin to the time set by music coming from the tiny speakers Eli has set to playing. Her right leg kicks out in the last move of the sequence, cheeks flushed with exertion and the smallest triumphant smile on her face, before her left leg wavers and her knee starts to crumple.
It's enough to make Nozomi flinch, away from the doorframe and toward the other girl, but Eli is there first.
Eli is always there, overseeing the entire school from the pinnacle of the student council president position, overseeing muse with long looks and calm certainty – like she trusts all their members to do their parts but needs to make herself available all the same. She's there for Umi as she stumbles, getting her shoulder under Umi's arm and catching her before her knee can give.
"Your moves are getting even cleaner than before," Eli says. "There's really no wasted motion at all, though I suspect we may have pushed you too hard, just now. Let's take a breather."
Umi laughs softly, a stuttery sound breathed out with her exhale, and then the momentary creasing of pain is again gone from her face. Her lips smile before she murmurs, "Thank you."
"It's nothing," Eli says. "If I have all of this expertise, the least I can do is use it. Now give me a moment, I want to look at your leg."
Eli helps Umi over to a chair beside the table where her MP3 player has moved on to another piece, a gentle piano melody with a light flute accompaniment woven through. As Umi sits, Eli slides to the floor, her hands curling around Umi's knee and following the length of her calf down to her ankle.
"It's alright, really," Umi tries to insist.
"Nonsense," Eli says. "Dancing injuries can be very serious. I'm no doctor, but I can at least do my best to make sure nothing is pulled, or strained."
Nozomi finds herself smiling, just to watch Eli's steady efficiency, to see how calmly she handles whatever problems are presented to her. She's used to watching Eli's hands – shuffling documents in the student council room, flipping through letters addressed to the council, touching her face or idly twirling her hair without noticing it, when she's lost in thought over phrasing, or plans, or a million other Eli-like contemplations Nozomi can only guess at.
She watches Eli's hands then, massaging at Umi's calves and working out tension, working gingerly along the other girl's legs with her head bowed demurely over her work. Eli glances up, as her fingers again curl around Umi's knee, and even in one-quarter profile Nozomi can see the smallest of smiles pulling at her lips.
"I'm happy to say that it looks to be nothing," Eli says. "Just exhaustion making your legs weak. Drink some water, and get some rest. I think we've done enough for today."
"Thank you, again," Umi says. "I'm happy you took the time to practice with me."
"Hmm," Eli murmurs, her expression softening further into warm fondness. "You say that as if I don't enjoy our practices very much myself."
Eli doesn't react, when Umi's cheeks flush red, and her heels draw backward underneath the chair even with Eli's hands still resting gently on her knee. But Nozomi does, murmuring knowingly to herself from just out of sight and pressing her hand over her lips to hide how widely she's smiling.
"I'll be sure to rest, like you said," Umi assures Eli, her voice gone smaller with dutiful contrition.
"That's what I like to hear," Eli says. She pats Umi's knee, and midway through pushing up from the floor, catches Umi's face just under her chin, tilting it up slightly to look at her. "Your dancing was beautiful, but please, do be careful with yourself."
"I will," Umi says.
After Eli is standing, Umi rises as well, flashing Eli another fragile little smile and a wave of her hand. As she walks toward the door Nozomi steps away, pressing her back to the wall just outside the room and folding her arms casually over her chest.
Umi doesn't even glance at her as she walks by – almost a shame, to Nozomi's mind, but there's time for them to talk in later hours.
"Eli-cchi," Nozomi says, as she pivots again and steps into the room.
"Ah," Eli says, glancing up from where she'd bent to shut off the music. "I should have known you would find me."
"It isn't always hard," Nozomi says, flashing Eli a knowing smile as she crosses the space between them to take the MP3 player from Eli's hand. "I'm glad you make it easy for me."
Eli laughs, a soft, comfortable sound that warms Nozomi just to hear, and allows Nozomi to take the gadget away. Nozomi doesn't miss it, when Eli's shoulders just marginally relax, and the rigidness of her posture starts to melt away. "You say that as if I do this on purpose."
"Don't you?" Nozomi asks. "Mmm, sit down, it's not so late yet."
"Here?" Eli asks back, even as she folds herself to perch on the very same chair she'd led Umi to not minutes before. "You always are very particular, for such a laid-back person."
"Only about the things that matter," Nozomi says, as she shifts to stand behind Eli. Her hands settle against Eli's shoulders, sliding in toward the center and beginning to work her thumbs against the back of Eli's neck. "I thought you might need to relax."
"Hmm," Eli murmurs to herself, but she doesn't argue. Her head rolls forward, and she turns herself over to Nozomi's strong fingers, picking up where Eli has left off and working all the tension out of Eli's neck, shoulders, and back.
"You should be careful with yourself, too," Nozomi murmurs, leaning her face close by Eli's ear.
"Perhaps," Eli agrees, voice gone vague like her focus is elsewhere. "But there's hardly a need, is there, when I have you to take care for me?"
Nozomi laughs, and kisses Eli's cheek, and admits at least to herself that she loves nothing better.
FILL: TEAM FUKUTOMI JUICHI/KINJOU SHINGO, G
Word Count: 1,036
Nozomi stands in the doorway, as Umi completes a final spin to the time set by music coming from the tiny speakers Eli has set to playing. Her right leg kicks out in the last move of the sequence, cheeks flushed with exertion and the smallest triumphant smile on her face, before her left leg wavers and her knee starts to crumple.
It's enough to make Nozomi flinch, away from the doorframe and toward the other girl, but Eli is there first.
Eli is always there, overseeing the entire school from the pinnacle of the student council president position, overseeing muse with long looks and calm certainty – like she trusts all their members to do their parts but needs to make herself available all the same. She's there for Umi as she stumbles, getting her shoulder under Umi's arm and catching her before her knee can give.
"Your moves are getting even cleaner than before," Eli says. "There's really no wasted motion at all, though I suspect we may have pushed you too hard, just now. Let's take a breather."
Umi laughs softly, a stuttery sound breathed out with her exhale, and then the momentary creasing of pain is again gone from her face. Her lips smile before she murmurs, "Thank you."
"It's nothing," Eli says. "If I have all of this expertise, the least I can do is use it. Now give me a moment, I want to look at your leg."
Eli helps Umi over to a chair beside the table where her MP3 player has moved on to another piece, a gentle piano melody with a light flute accompaniment woven through. As Umi sits, Eli slides to the floor, her hands curling around Umi's knee and following the length of her calf down to her ankle.
"It's alright, really," Umi tries to insist.
"Nonsense," Eli says. "Dancing injuries can be very serious. I'm no doctor, but I can at least do my best to make sure nothing is pulled, or strained."
Nozomi finds herself smiling, just to watch Eli's steady efficiency, to see how calmly she handles whatever problems are presented to her. She's used to watching Eli's hands – shuffling documents in the student council room, flipping through letters addressed to the council, touching her face or idly twirling her hair without noticing it, when she's lost in thought over phrasing, or plans, or a million other Eli-like contemplations Nozomi can only guess at.
She watches Eli's hands then, massaging at Umi's calves and working out tension, working gingerly along the other girl's legs with her head bowed demurely over her work. Eli glances up, as her fingers again curl around Umi's knee, and even in one-quarter profile Nozomi can see the smallest of smiles pulling at her lips.
"I'm happy to say that it looks to be nothing," Eli says. "Just exhaustion making your legs weak. Drink some water, and get some rest. I think we've done enough for today."
"Thank you, again," Umi says. "I'm happy you took the time to practice with me."
"Hmm," Eli murmurs, her expression softening further into warm fondness. "You say that as if I don't enjoy our practices very much myself."
Eli doesn't react, when Umi's cheeks flush red, and her heels draw backward underneath the chair even with Eli's hands still resting gently on her knee. But Nozomi does, murmuring knowingly to herself from just out of sight and pressing her hand over her lips to hide how widely she's smiling.
"I'll be sure to rest, like you said," Umi assures Eli, her voice gone smaller with dutiful contrition.
"That's what I like to hear," Eli says. She pats Umi's knee, and midway through pushing up from the floor, catches Umi's face just under her chin, tilting it up slightly to look at her. "Your dancing was beautiful, but please, do be careful with yourself."
"I will," Umi says.
After Eli is standing, Umi rises as well, flashing Eli another fragile little smile and a wave of her hand. As she walks toward the door Nozomi steps away, pressing her back to the wall just outside the room and folding her arms casually over her chest.
Umi doesn't even glance at her as she walks by – almost a shame, to Nozomi's mind, but there's time for them to talk in later hours.
"Eli-cchi," Nozomi says, as she pivots again and steps into the room.
"Ah," Eli says, glancing up from where she'd bent to shut off the music. "I should have known you would find me."
"It isn't always hard," Nozomi says, flashing Eli a knowing smile as she crosses the space between them to take the MP3 player from Eli's hand. "I'm glad you make it easy for me."
Eli laughs, a soft, comfortable sound that warms Nozomi just to hear, and allows Nozomi to take the gadget away. Nozomi doesn't miss it, when Eli's shoulders just marginally relax, and the rigidness of her posture starts to melt away. "You say that as if I do this on purpose."
"Don't you?" Nozomi asks. "Mmm, sit down, it's not so late yet."
"Here?" Eli asks back, even as she folds herself to perch on the very same chair she'd led Umi to not minutes before. "You always are very particular, for such a laid-back person."
"Only about the things that matter," Nozomi says, as she shifts to stand behind Eli. Her hands settle against Eli's shoulders, sliding in toward the center and beginning to work her thumbs against the back of Eli's neck. "I thought you might need to relax."
"Hmm," Eli murmurs to herself, but she doesn't argue. Her head rolls forward, and she turns herself over to Nozomi's strong fingers, picking up where Eli has left off and working all the tension out of Eli's neck, shoulders, and back.
"You should be careful with yourself, too," Nozomi murmurs, leaning her face close by Eli's ear.
"Perhaps," Eli agrees, voice gone vague like her focus is elsewhere. "But there's hardly a need, is there, when I have you to take care for me?"
Nozomi laughs, and kisses Eli's cheek, and admits at least to herself that she loves nothing better.