It was still the dead of night, and although it had been hours since Itla had left, Medli was still finding herself restless. She didn’t want to return to her den or go hunting or... just about anything right now.
Well, almost nothing.
Admittedly, she had gone looking for Brio but.... he wasn’t at his den. She should have asked Fetuao before the lion had left, curse it all! The guard likely would have known or at least had an idea of where the other male had gone. Now she was left to wander around by herself, stewing over her indecisiveness and wishing she could fix things. She still wasn’t sure Brio would have her, but.... she had to try. Itla was right - it was high time she started trusting her feelings more.
Medli found herself wandering a very familiar path. It was the same she’d traveled down as a cub, the one she had met Brio on. A small smile grew on her face as she remembered it fondly, remembered the beautiful singing that had captivated her so much. He didn’t sing as much nowadays, though she wished he would.
That was when she heard it; faint on the wind but still definitely there, the unmistakable sound of someone singing. At first, she frowned, wondering if perhaps her mind was playing tricks on her, but then she recognized the voice. It was deeper now, though still as smooth and chiming as ever, but what really caught her attention....
Back then, she had noted that the voice was similar to the singing mystery mate from her dreams, but had brushed it off. It was too high, too squeaky, and as they grew to adolescence, Brio had stopped really singing in front of her, so she had never heard him sing again.... until now.
Such a soft, soothing voice.... something that had calmed her dreams when they grew too intense....
It couldn’t have been him all this time... right?
She shook her head, mentally berating herself for going down that line again, before suddenly realizing that the one person she’d been trying to find was right there. Eyes going wide, Medli rushed as quietly as she could over to the hidden cave. It was smaller than she remembered, and she stopped in surprise as she saw the trail of picked flowers seemingly bursting forth from it.
That was new. They almost looked like they ever meant to lead someone in.
Tiptoeing inside, Medli blinked as she saw that the flowers seemed to continue in before wrapping around to decorate the walls and floor of the cave. Small fireflies flickered above them playfully and lit up the room with an almost ethereal glow.
And sitting with his back to her was Brio, singing away with his soft voice.
Medli smiled warmly and walked closer, careful to keep herself quiet so she didn’t disturb his singing. It was the first song she’d ever heard from him, and one she had come to love over time. Settling quietly next to him, she laid down and set her head on her paws.
To say he was nervous was an understatement. The flowers had been easy to pick, but the fireflies? Oh, that had been a challenge, and he was lucky Medli had shown up when she did, because he wasn’t sure said bugs would have stayed around much longer.
He knew the moment she arrived, but he kept his eyes closed and continued singing. After all, the song was for her. Even now, having an audience made him jumpy, but when it was Medli, he endured it. He liked it when she listened.
As the song started to end, and only a few of the fireflies remained, Brio slowly opened his eyes at the trailing end of the last lyric. There was silence between them, neither sure what to say, before Brio timidly glanced over at Medli. She looked beautiful to him any other day, but in this lighting? She was even more so.
Clearing his throat, he opened his mouth to speak, “Medli, I....” But she raised a paw to stop him.
”You’re voice is even better than before, you know,” she said with a soft smile. Medli sat up then, putting herself at eye level with him. “I could listen to it all day.”
The lioness paused to observe him for a moment, then looked away, “I haven’t been very fair to you, have I? You’ve always been so eager to please and I guess I....” her ears flattened against her head, “I took advantage of that. I’m sorry, Brio, you don’t have to help me search anymore.”
He blinked in surprise, not expecting those words, before shaking his head. “Medli, it wasn’t to please you or anything. I just... liked being with you, and if that meant doing something that I didn’t really want to do, then I was willing to do it.” Which maybe that was what she meant by ‘eager to please’, but to him, it was just a way to spend time with someone he loved.
Which he supposed led him to the crux of all of this.
“Medli....” Brio took a deep breath, gathering himself, “I’ve always wanted to see you achieve your dream, but honestly? I... I wished it was me.” He panicked as he saw the shocked look grow across her face, and continued with a stutter, “I-I don’t know if I could live up to the male in your visions, or if he would just show up one day, but I do know that I... I love you. I always have, and it hurts to see you pine for someone else, but if it makes you happy, I just want you to be happy, and-“
His rambling was cut short by a white-toed paw against his mouth. He was scared to look, to see her reaction, but knowing that he was already in this deep, he slowly turned his gaze over to her.
And was surprised to see teary eyes looking back. Oh crap, had he made her cry?!
Seeing the panic growing on his face, Medli gave a watery laugh and decided to speak up before he could, “You know, I spent all this time worrying over the future, that I guess I never took into account the present.” She paused, “I think I latched onto my visions because... because it was a safety net. I can’t honestly say that I was in love with whoever it is.” And the more she thought about it, the more true it was.
Overwhelmed, Medli leaned forward and buried her face against his chest, “After all, my heart already belongs to someone else.” A red eye peeked up at him, “I’ve wanted to tell you, but... but I was so scared of letting go.... Brio, I’ve always wanted you at my side, and when you left earlier, I knew.... I knew I messed up.”
She sniffed, “Brio, if you’ll still have me.... I love you too.”
Brio’s was sure his eyes couldn’t get any wider. She was... had she just....
There was a beat where he could do nothing but process that, and then, eyes tearing up as well, he laughed and buried his face against her neck. “Of course I’ll have you. I’d follow you to the ends of the earth.”
He couldn’t believe it, could hardly even hold himself in from exploding with happiness. Medli... she had confessed and accepted his confession!
Medli laughed gleefully back and then buried herself in his mane again. Happiness coursed through her as the two just basked in each other’s presence. That he would go to such lengths to confess to her too - she could hardly believe it.
Opening her eyes revealed a cascade of orange and yellows, the beautiful warmth of the sun despite it being the middle of the night, just like....
Finally, finally, it dawned on her. The now adult voice, the warmest mane to bury her face in, the feeling of safety....
Her mystery mate had been right in front of her this whole time.
The thought almost sent her straight into more tears, but she instead shoved it away. That nonsense had caused enough trouble, and she didn’t want to ruin the moment by bringing it up again, even if she had just solved the mystery.
Right now, she just wanted to enjoy the moment with the one she loved.