[ WP ] Every footstep was outlined in glimmering flames as he danced .

They waltzed across the broken earth. 
 
 He held her in his arms, observing her against the backdrop of another destroyed facility. Rubble and concrete piled up around them with twisted, half melted girders and the forest around the hidden base was on fire. 
 
 They were waiting for the extraction team. It was as good a time as any to practice. 
 
 Alice smiled faintly at him as he looked at her, peering past her long, dark hair. The tips of her bloodstained lab coat fluttered awkwardly around her as she moved. She ducked her gaze away. 
 
 `` You're doing fine.'' he said softly, `` We need more practice.'' 
 
 She did n't seem at all bothered by the flames flickering above his skin. He could barely feel her as she danced, her form faintly indistinct as the shadows in her sleeves writhed and swelled into a smoky mist. 
 
 She nodded at his words. Around them the world burned and Alice began to hum. 
 
 He did n't know where she got the tune from. Perhaps it was one of those forgotten little, important things that had managed to survive whatever she'd been through to attain power over shadows. Like his dancing was, for him. 
 
 He followed her tune, humming along as best he could. Ever so slowly, he tried to draw his flame away from himself. 
 
 It was n't easy. 
 
 He could command his fires easily enough. With a thought, his flames could materialize anywhere he wished. 
 
 It was difficult being apart from the flames. His flesh felt naked as the fire coalesced to a bright point above his shoulder. He could barely stop himself from looking around in case anyone attacked. 
 
 Alice squeezed his hands slightly. She was trying to draw her shadows away too and he saw a rare glimpse of her eyes, a normal blue pupil free of shadow black for now. 
 
 He focused on the soft feel of her hands and on her determined smile. He found himself smiling too. 
 
 `` Let's dance.'' 
 
 In the distance, helicopter blades whirred, drawing closer to the flames and shadows. They danced on, moving slowly further away from here.
