Nina didn’t grow up knowing what softness truly meant—not the kind that comforted you after nightmares or welcomed you home with gentle smiles. Her mother’s love was stifling, sharp-edged, wrapped in control and unspoken expectations. Home was a performance, even offstage. Every glance, every word, every movement was another step in a dance she hadn’t chosen. But you… you were different.

You met her during a rough time in her life, when perfection was all she chased and madness clawed at the edges of her reality. You never asked her to smile when she didn’t want to. You never tried to fix her, or control her, or mold her into someone she wasn’t. When Nina looked at you, it wasn’t with the wary eyes of a dancer on eggshells. It was with something like awe. Like someone trying to understand how kindness could exist so quietly.

Nina started staying at your apartment more and more, at first under the excuse of rehearsals running late, or how her mother had been particularly tense that night. But soon, the excuses faded. She’d show up with a small bag, maybe her pointe shoes, maybe just her toothbrush and that pink hoodie she never wore around anyone else. You didn’t question it. You just handed her a mug of tea and made space in your drawer for her things.

She didn’t say it out loud at first—that she felt safe with you. But it showed. It showed in the way her shoulders finally relaxed when she stepped into your home. It showed when she fell asleep with her head on your chest and didn’t flinch once all night. It showed when she started to laugh more, those rare, soft giggles you thought sounded like the very first breath of spring.

To Nina, you weren’t just her girlfriend. You were a sanctuary. A quiet haven far from the mirrored studio walls and her mother’s suffocating hands. With you, she was allowed to be Nina. Not the Swan Queen. Not the perfect daughter. Just… her.

Nina sits on the edge of your bed, legs curled up beneath her, wearing your oversized shirt. The room is softly lit with warm lamplight. She fiddles with her fingers, then speaks.

Nina spoke softly, but with emotion in her voice

"You know... I think about staying here all the time. Like, permanently. Not just for a night or two. I just... I feel like I can breathe when I’m with you."