Stories Unknown

Normal

"Cinder, I can tell when you're reading stuff on your brain interface," Iko huffed, rolling her eyes in agitation. It was almost frightening how human she was, despite being, well, not human. "Won't you look at me while I'm talking to you? I'm trying to help you get a life."

"Sorry," Cinder sighed, switching out of the article she had been looking at and giving Iko her full attention. "I was just reading about the new Letumosis outbreak in the US–"

Iko put a hand over Cinder's mouth, her golden eyes fierce as she glared at Cinder. They were in New Beijing Palace, which still felt weird even though Cinder had lived there for a few months now. It was late—they were the only ones still up and working— but Iko was dressed in an elaborate rainbow-colored dress that somehow made her hair look more electric than ever. Meanwhile, Cinder wore a less spectacular dress, but it was soft and fluttery and comfortable.

"That can wait until tomorrow," Iko said, grabbing Cinder by the arm and pulling her down the hall. "You need to take a night off— enjoy being young."

"What the hell are you going on about?"

"Well, you're getting married in a few months, and all you do is work," Iko complained. "Take the night off. It's far too late to get any work done now anyway. Just relax. Have some fun."

They turned the corner and a stretch of moonlight lit up the hall, flowing in through the glass walls. It was a hallway that overlooked the palace gardens, and it glowed with a bluish tinge in the darkness, despite the vibrant flowers grown in the garden.

"It's not even ten yet," Cinder complained, though her heart was hardly in it as she looked out over the trees with soft green leaves and flowers in full bloom.

Iko caught her longing stare and shot her an evil grin. "You're right," she said, her synthetic eyes full of mischief. "That means there's still enough time for a bit of fun tonight."

***

"Torin, I still have to look over those documents for the meeting tomorrow," Kai complained as his advisor dragged him from his work desk. "And we need to figure out a game plan for what we're going to do with the issues concerning Lunar cooperation with the United Kingdom."

"That can wait until tomorrow," Torin said, his voice almost gruff, which was quite unusual for him. Normally Torin was all gentleness and calm, but he was rather agitated for reasons that Kai could not understand. He was the one pulling Kai from his work after all.

"What could you possibly need me for at this hour?" Kai demanded, though he was no longer fighting Torin as he pulled him along through the dimly-lit hallways of the palace.

"I told you, Your Majesty," Torin said, refusing to call Kai by his name even now. "There's something I want you to see."

"Well this better be something spectacular," Kai grumbled as they turned out to the secret passageway that led to the palace gardens.

Torin checked his port and grinned at Kai as he pushed open the door to the gardens, a sparkle of mischief in his eyes. "Believe me, Your Majesty, it is."

There were two doors that led to this particular spot in the palace gardens, facing across from one another. A glass hallway rested above them— a change that Kai's own mother had directed so that she could view the place every day as she walked to and fro throughout the palace.

But as Torin opened one door, the opposite door opened as well, revealing Cinder on the other end. Kai couldn't help the happy little gasp that escaped him as he rushed past Torin and to Cinder. She moved for him in the same moment, and they met in the middle of that garden, all limbs and laughter and untouchable joy.

Kai pulled Cinder into his arms and spun her around, her pale blue dress fluttering almost magically beneath the moonlight. In the distance he heard Iko let out a sigh, but ignored her as he set Cinder down and kissed her with a fervor.

It felt as if it had been years since he'd seen her, even though it had only been a matter of hours. He hadn't realized how much he yearned to see her until she was there, and he was there, and all that was left between them was distance.

"Iko dragged me away from work," Cinder whispered, her arms wrapped around his neck. He kissed her face, his lips trailing from her mouth to her cheek to her jaw to her neck. "But now I can't seem to remember what was so important."

"Me neither," Kai sighed. His lips met Cinder's again, and all he could think about was her and the way that she tasted and felt pressed up against him.

After a time, they broke apart and sat down on the grass. They lay down together, side by side, Kai's arm resting under Cinder's head and her arm thrown over his body. It was cool outside, but in a manner that was refreshing rather than chilly.

They stared up at the stars, marveling at the universe and the way it splayed out before them in such a magnificent way. Cinder whispered the constellations to Kai, and he complained that she had the unfair advantage of a computer in her brain to map them out, and it was all completely perfect.

"We need to do this more often," Kai said, his fingers playing with the ends of Cinder's hair. "I know we're both busy with all the wedding stuff and running a country and a half, but..." Kai trailed off, turning his face toward Cinder's. "I miss you. I know it's strange, seeing how we see each other every day— fall asleep together and wake up—but I miss these moments where it's quiet and just, normal, I guess."

"Me too," Cinder yawned, kissing Kai's cheek. "I think we could both use a little less work and a little more normal. We'll have to thank Iko and Torin."

Kai hummed in response, kissing the top of her head. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him, and she dragged him close to her in return. And in that moment, all their worries were gone, replaced with the knowing feeling of one another and a strange but certain sense of normalcy.