Another Black Clover Fanfiction
The last dance – Mereoleona x fem Reader
The second half to the written version of "draw yourself danicing with your fav Charakter " I think I got a litte lost in thins one, like in a wastet evening at a party you never wantet to attent but you were dragged there by friends so you have to stay and wait till it's over.... Hope this Story is better than this xD Enjoy :3
Applause echoes through the ballroom as the opening dance came to an end and take over the music. You’re only half as enthusiastic as Leo. The Order Leader’s younger brother can hardly contain himself. He’s absolutely thrilled, simply because Fuegoleon made his grand entrance during the opening dance. In the meantime, you had your own little opening. You and Charmy secretly raided the buffet.
Your trophy; a plate far too small for your taste, piled high with equally tiny canapés.
“You’ll burn those calories off straight away, as often as you have to go to the buffet to feel full. Well, I’ll make the most of the evening.”
Without a date, you feel a bit out of place anyway. At least you’d enjoy the food this evening.
With the hall still lost in enthusiastic applause—the opening dance must have been something special, not that you caught any of it—you can’t help wondering what would have been if Mereoleona was still in charge of the Crimson Lions. “Would it be me? Would it be us, instead of Fuegoleon and his partner, to open the ball?” Before you can seriously picture yourself and Mereo performing a waltz on the grand stage, you’re already shaking your head.
No. Just no. There would be no reason for her to dance, when Fuegoleon was there for that sort of responsibilities. You couldn't even imagine her dancing in this grand ballroom, wearing a full-length evening gown, to a three-four time rhythm. But still… you wouldn’t mind if it was true…
You are standing with Leo at the gallery's railing, which runs all the way around the ballroom, excluding the two storeys high floor-to-ceiling windows. From up here, you not only have a good view of the elegant yet tastefully simple hall, where the orchestra is positioned between the two wide, sweeping staircases on the ground floor, but you can also quickly reach the buffet in the separate room on the first floor or go for a stroll in the garden outside.
Night has already fallen, and the fairy lights and lanterns are competing with the starry sky.
"It's more beautiful at the hot springs," you whisper. Just loud enough for Leo to hear, but quietly enough to muffle your words.
"What?" he asks.
"Oh, nothing," you reply and shake your head, a bitter smile on your lips. "Just... The stars are beautiful..."
He looks at you as if he knows that you're missing his sister. Managing a soft smile, he makes a well-meaning suggestion: "Hey, (Y/N)? Do you want to dance with me till—"
Although Leo is like a little brother to you and you’ve become very close, you turn him down. You fall straight for his line: “I’m flattered, Leo. But I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. I’m not a very good dancer.”
That's just an excuse. Although there was a grain of truth to it. Dancing isn’t your thing. Music doesn’t appeal to you either. You had no understanding of beats or rhythm. But the main reason was that you only wanted to dance with one person: With her... Mereoleona.
The woman you got close to, but who was so out of reach at the same time.
It's not that you didn't ask her if she was coming to the ball. You really did. At least, you tried. But you failed so miserably.
“I am outside if you are looking for me. Or at the buffet...” Without waiting for a response, you stepped outside into the fresh night air. Letting Leo alone at the party. But you need a moment for you alone.
The cool evening air greets you and you instinctively wrap your arms around your shoulders. As you do so, you brush against the scar on your left shoulder. It's one of many that you received in your last fight. It was the worst one.
"Although the dress is beautiful, I think it would have been better if it had covered my scars completely", you whisper to yourself. However, your friend was so enthusiastic about sewing this dress for you as soon as she heard that would go to the ball. Nothing could stop her. Not even the news that you would be going alone. Without a partner to dance with. She still put all her energy into making this stunning dressA simple forest-green dress with many layers of semi-translucent silk draped over the skirt. According to your friend, she was inspired by the greens of leaves, moss and even emeralds. A kind of forest guardian was in her mind. And she came close to achieving it. The highlight was the embroidery, which resembled ivy tendrils that seamlessly transitioned from the skirt into real vine-like growths, alongside the real flowers in delicate pastel colors.
Though you feel a little uncomfortable showing your scars so openly, they were the reason you wanted to get stronger. They were the reason enough for you to ask Mereoleona to help you out with your training. Maybe also some sort of excuse to be near her.Not knowing what had possessed you, asking her – out of all the options you had – seemed like the only logical course of action for you back than. To your surprise, she agreed.
Only hours after your request you found yourself, you, a humble forest mage, in an active volcano. Yet it made you stronger. More resilient. More resistant to your counterelement.
“Embrace the heat like a little sunflower...” she had yelled at you back then. Apart from the fact that sunflowers have as much to do with your Sylvanus magic as a matchstick with a volcano, you felt flattered but also like a burnt flower.
A few days ago, after your latest training session yet, you asked her about the ball. If she'd be coming too. But without looking at you — her attention belonged to the stars in the night sky — she took a sip of her sake and shook her head.
"No, sweetheart. You should know me well enough by now to know that this isn't my sort of thing."
"Oh... I see..." You also looked away. A little hurt… you really should have been able to guess.
"Besides... Who do you think I am? Most men are so scared of me that they won't even train with me — let alone dance with me. That’s how I ended up in the wild...”
"I would love to dance with you. And I’m also not afraid of you… ", you formed those words in your mind. Unable to speak them out loud. Ignoring another thought occurring to you...
To you, Mereoleona is a mentor, a friend and... maybe even more. At least for you.
How many times have you sat together in the hot springs and drunk sake? In this short amount of time... it's been countless moments for you...
You walk a few meters towards the fence surrounding the garden and lean against the railing to gaze absently at the stars. Her words – that no man would dance with her, that she hadn’t even hinted that two women could dance together, rejecting the idea outright – were heartbreaking. Devastating.
So devastating that you didn't even dare to bring the ball theme up at all towards her since than. Yet, it feels like a lost chance to you. "But what if she was waiting for me making the first step?", you ask yourself. "Maybe she would have come to the ball...”
Another cold gust of wind blows around the castle walls and sends a chill over your skin. You shiver.
”Or I would have got proof that she isn't into women. Not into me..."
As you gaze silently into the starry sky, music softly playing in the background, you notice couples sneaking outside to exchange secret kisses. Loneliness reaches out for you, and the feeling of being out of place grows even further. You are looking down on you. Once more you can't shake off the feeling that you're dressed up too nicely for the circumstances. For girl alone at the big ball… “I probably should have just stayed home in the first place. But it’s not too late to do it right now”, you tell yourself.
All those swirling thoughts surrounding Mereoleona have really dampened your mood. So what's the point in staying any longer anyway?
Before heading down the stairs from the Garden and away from the Castle, you look at the stars one last time. Like if you're demanding a fortune-telling. In that moment of hesitation, you hear a familiar voice. Not that of a goddess telling you what to do... But similar: “There you are, la. They've put some new dishes on the buffet.”
And just like that, your plan to go straight home has crumbled to bits, even before you’d properly planed it out. All because of Charmy, who spotted you trying to escape and called you over to eat. While guarding the buffet with Charmy, to make matters worse, a few friends of yours came over and ask you to dance. But every invitation—whether it came from—you consistently turn them down, one after another.
“All in all, it was a wasted evening that dragged on far too long…,” you remark with a deep sigh. “I really should have left when I had the chance.” You take a bite from one of the little tartlets, your expression grim yet tinged with sadness. Not even these little treats, prettily decorated with cream and berries, can cheer you up anymore.
So you finally say goodbye to Charmy after just two or three small pastries—one of them clutched in your hand as a snack for the road—and go looking for Leo. Since he accompanied you to the party, at least you want to say goodbye to him.
As you navigate through the dwindling crowd of ball guests, you make your way from the buffet over to the gallery and glance briefly down over the railing. Maybe you can spot him from up there and won’t have to search for long. The music is still playing, and a few couples are left dancing. A few other people are standing off to the side of the dance floor, deep in conversation. Among them is Leopold, standing next to his brother and his... "Wait a minute?!? This can’t be true. Is she… Is she actually?!?" Startled by the sight of the three Vermillion siblings chatting with the Silvas, you clatter down the stairs in your heels. “What’s she doing here? Why? She told me she wouldn’t be coming. And now she’s here after all? What’s going on? Did someone else ask her?” Your heart starts racing, just as your thoughts already are. “Has she been dancing with someone all evening while I was moping and stuffing myself with canapés? Why? How? When did she arrive?" You fight back the tears welling up and approach the siblings.
“Huh?” Leo notices you. First out of the corner of his eye, then he turns towards you and waves with his arm outstretched. “Hey, (Y/N)! We’re here!” At that, his older siblings turn towards you too.
Fuegoleons with his warm smile, and Mereoleonas broad grin showing her fang. Both smiling at you like nothing is wrong. Only Leo looks a bit worried. “Where have you been? We’ve been missing you. You missed the big surprise too…” He pouts as his sister – who was presumably the big surprise – opens her mouth. “Hey, sweetheart,” she calls out.
With her short hair, you almost don’t recognize her at first glance. She isn’t wearing a dress, but a suit with a red tie. Over that a very wide-cut jacket trimmed with fur. “She’s really dressed up for the evening …”, you remark in surprise, as you hesitantly raise your hand in greeting and shyly approach the little group. “Should I say something? Should I ask her what she’s doing here? Or… do I even want to know…” You stand there, feeling uncertain and nervous, glancing to the side and rubbing your forearms. Yet even without looking at her, you can feel Mereoleona’s piercing gaze.
“Are you alright?” she asks you. “I thought I’d find you on the dance floor. But I haven’t seen you all evening and now you’re coming from a completely different direction.”
“Erm, yeah... I was with Charmy. At the buffet and stuff...”
You point your thumb behind you, vaguely in the direction. “Well, I just wanted to say goodbye. The evening went on longer than it should have. I ate too much and...”
“…moped about it”, you add in your thoughts. You’re annoyed that you didn’t just head down to the dance floor and just stood at the buffet like its personal watch dog. If only you’d gone down just once. If you’d accepted the dance from Finral or anyone else, you would have noticed her sooner. Would have been able to spent more time with her.
“But... would that have changed anything?” This thought pierces you like an icy knife. It's like a mocking version of yourself showing you how spineless you really are. “Would you really have asked her then? You don’t even find the courage to do it right now.”
“So you’ve just been eating all evening?”
Her question brings you back to the present. As you look up, you see her looking at you in bewilderment.
You nood. A little eembarrassed. “What? And you didn’t dance?”
You shake your head.
“Not at all?”
“Not at all”, you repeat her words.
“What? Why?” She takes a step towards you, pushing her brothers with Nozzel and his siblings into the background. They, too, look a bit puzzled at first. Fuegoleon is the first to understand, as he signals to his sister with a wave of his hand that they’re going to let the two of you alone. She nods in agreement and turns back to you.
“You’ve been buzzing about the ball for days. About how you’ve never been dancing before and wanted to make up for it. That your friend wanted to sew you a dress especially for tonight. Making me want to see you dancing either… Giving me a reason to caome too…”She blushes a little, adding in a whisper: “You look stunning, by the way... My dear Guardian of the Forests... "
“Thank you...”, you manage to say.
“But what changed? Why did you just eat the whole night? Did everyone turn down your invitation to dance? Or did the men not even dare to ask you?”
She turns away from you, raising her voice. She shouts at the remaining ball guests: “Why didn’t anyone dance with her? Who put this beautiful girl down? Who here deserves a kick in the ass?!”
She was ready to punch the next person, already cracking her knuckles.
As a silent reply, you point to yourself.
“It’s me...”, you add in a low, ashamed voice. “I am the only one to blame. Because I refused all dances.”
Her gaze wanders back to you. The eyes widen in disbelief, mirroring your sorrow.
“Why?” Meroleonas voice softens…
“There is only one person I want to dance with...”, you press out.
“What? Who are you talking about?” she asks with a shaking in her words.
Nervously, you clench your hands. Your gaze wanders to the ground. Unable to look her in the eyes. The courage that flared up briefly has fizzled out. Extinguished. The same agonising questions press upon you again. “What if she says no? What if she doesn’t want to dance anyway...”
But the thought that this might be the very last chance for you, to tell her how you fell, igniting your courage again.
With wide eyes, you look up and straight into hers, as you form the words: “It’s you. I only ever wanted to dance with you from the very start... But I wasn’t sure if you’d even come. If you’d dance at all. Or if you’d dance with another woman... With me.”
Silence.
Even the music in the background stops, as one of the musicians announces the final dance of the night.
“But now I think it’s too late anyway. I spent the whole night at the buffet, eating. It’s already dark outside and the last dance is about to start. So...”
You turn around and are just about to leave. You don’t even dare to wait for her reply. As if the announcement of the last dance is rejection enough. But Mereoleona stops you, as usual, with her flame paw. “You always give up far too quickly, sweetheart. What made you think I’d say no?”
You have no real answer to this. Only being able to point out vage that Mereo has always spoken of man to dance with. Never even hinting that she was into other woman at all…
“Maybe I should have asked?” You look at each other with anguish.
She nods and lets go of you with her paw.
“Maybe you wouldn’t have been disappointed…”
The piano begins to play, with a few harp tones woven into the melody.
“But who am I to judge you? I was afraid to ask you out too. Until now...” She holds out towards you, smiling at you shyly. “Wanna dance with me, (Y/N)?”
Your eyes widen in surprise. Despite being so happy, your first reaction was to wave it off: “I can’t dance.”
“I don't care. I can’t either. So come with me, sweetheart.” She grabs your hand and drags you onto the dance floor as the fiddlers join in with the rhythm and the light goes dim.
The initial worry, mixed with shyness, quickly fades, as you find yourself at the dance area. You smile to yourself and taking Mereoleonas hand. Playfully, you turn around on your own axis towards her.
With your back to Mereoleona, you cross your arms with hers in front of your chest, leaning towards her. Feeling her warmth. Her heartbeat. Making yours beat faster.
As you turn back after a few moments – embracing the music and the feeling of being hold close by her – and face her eye to eye, your mutual cluelessness about how to dance becomes obvious. First two are unsure what to do with your hands; Just holing each others? Classic couple-dance? But this unease and desire for each other leads to an intimate embrace. With hesitation and a hint of nervousness, you place your hands on Mereoleona's shoulders. Shyness returns. You cannot look at her without your cheeks flushing red.
Despite having trained with her for countless hours, even sitting naked next to her in the hot springs, dancing this close to her makes you so nervous that you can’t even look at her.
Of course she notices: "Hey, look at me, sweetheart. What’s wrong? Can’t even look at me? Do I look weird? Or is something else bugging you?” She strokes your cheek and chin to lift your gaze to hers.
"No... it's just... we've never been this close before."
“Are you sure?”
The music volume turns up for a few notes, mostly the sound of the piano preparing for the loud, thudding beat of the bass drum.
"Remember all the training fights? Just think how much physical contact we've had already.” To emphasise her point, she pulls you in closer. "I know almost every single inch of your body. I know your heartbeat, how you breathe and how you move, and even your scent... I know all of this by heart.”
The beat of the bass echoes through the room and intensifies the shiver of delight that her words have sent down your spine.
"Also, I know how much you have changed and how strong you have become. You are one of the few people who weren’t afraid to fight me...”
You remember her words from back then, when the two of you were sitting together in the hot springs and gazing at the stars. “…how I ended up in the wild...”
You had another thought back then that you didn't want to admit... “She never showed it, but could it be that she, the undefeated lioness, felt lonely or even hurt somehow?”
Now, it is you who is pulling her close.
"Mereo, you're not someone to be afraid of. I know how gentle you can be, how soft and caring.”
Mereoleona laughs loudly in response and shakes her head. "You’re brave to tell the lioness that she’s gentle."
However, you notice the tremor in her voice. Proofing your assumption: "Yeah, she'd never admit it. She's too proud. Still… I can show her, that she is not alone…"
You lean your forehead against her shoulder. Snuggling up to her, you show her that you're not afraid of her, while the slow, gentle rock ballad carries you both across the dance floor.
Somehow peaceful, somehow melancholic. Fitting for these sorts of thoughts.
As the final notes play, you whisper to her: “Mereo... You’re important to me. You should know this...”
A soft smile flickers across her lips as she leans in for a gentle kiss while the last note slowly fades away.
Thank you for reading this story! Btw, I’m always open to comments and suggestions for improvement – I really want to improve my writing, as I’m not just working on these fanfics, I write for fun… :3 But please be polite and stick to constructive criticism…