MAN & MONSTER

marital dance

"Marital dance," Koura echoed with alarm.

The figure before him was tall, taller than his 5"5 by far, but it was a height difference that he'd long grown accustomed to. An outsider would've taken one look at the figure and declared 'that's a giant seven foot bipedal bird' but Koura knew him as Aki'i Tuk'tuu of clan Ho'ko'kaa. Koura also called him his fiance and had done so for several years (had it been so long? how time flew, no pun intended). His head was bright and brilliant, a feathery rainbow of colours with his crest finely combed back but never completely tamed. It tended to fluff up when he was excited, especially the crimson feathers on his cheeks.

Currently his eyes were curved, an expression of delight as he cocked his head to look at Koura from one of his large, vivid blue eyes. "That's right," he clacked excitedly, his beak tapping together loudly on every syllable. "Every avodakk's dream is to dance the marital dance."

They'd discussed their marriage several times and Koura was wary that only now had the subject of a 'dance' come up.

"And I'll... I'll have to do this dance."

"Right! Right, of course." Aki'i clacked his beak again and he was near to vibrating with excitement. His feathers had doubled around his head, twitching. His taloned feet were gouging into the soft earthen floor of their modest home. "I know earthfolk don't do the marital dance, as you've said, but you have dancing at your ceremonies? Of course you do!"

"I mean... yeah."

"Like I have always said to those ridiculous heavyfeet around here," Aki'i said with a scolding chirrup from his throat, "earthfolk and avodakk are so alike. 'How are you supposed to have a ceremony', bah! Shows what they know. Our dance will be the grandest ever seen."

Koura's heart began to sink and he uncomfortably folded and unfolded his hands several times. 

"Aki'i," he started hesitantly and Aki'i's eye at once focused on him. One of his feathery brow ridges lifted in question as he lowered his upper body further so they were even more at eye level. "I can't dance."

Aki'i gazed at him blankly for a moment. Then, to Koura's surprised, he cawed with laughter, tossing back his head. "Koura! You're so funny! Always jokes! Of course you can dance! If you can make love, then you can dance--"

As always, Aki'i's unabashed words and lack of embarrassment made Koura want to scream with embarrassment. You would think he would be over it at this point, he thought, since they had been together for so long. But he'd displayed that he was absolutely abysmal at building up a thicker outer skin and not blushing every time Aki'i made such comments.

"That is not how that works," he hissed and Aki'i's eye rolled.

"Of course it is! You're so cute." Aki'i turned then, hopping to his feet and extending large, feathery hands connected to his wings to Koura expectantly. "It is just rhythm! Ebb and flow. Push and pull--" He punctuated pull by doing just that, drawing Koura to his feet and into his broad, feathery chest. "I push, you pull."

Koura stared up at his face, at his feathery brow ridges rising and lowering and cursed his siblings for teaching Aki'i how to wiggle his eyebrows suggestively. He separated a hand to shove at Aki'i's chest (prompting another bellow of amusement) before grudgingly taking the position that Aki'i guided him into.

"I'll show you how easy it is," Aki'i boasted.

Like you will, Koura thought and, true to form, he trod on Aki'i's scaled foot not a second into their dance. His eyes contorted with pain, a squawk echoing from his beak.

"Not so much like love-making, now is it?" Koura teased, grinning.

"It's a work in progress," Aki'i said, strained, but he pulled Koura back in.