Oneshot. Hope you enjoy it!

Unrequited

Sighing longingly, Musa shifted her head in her palm and peered out the window to her left. She had broken the promise she'd made to herself again, the promise that she wouldn't look at her as she wandered across the quad haloed by the afternoon sun. But this promise had never once been kept. It was destined to be broken, for Musa couldn't fight the temptation of looking towards the person she was hopelessly enamoured with.

Galatea.

The tingling upon seeing her had started long before Musa had acknowledged it, deep within her chest, around the day they'd met. At first, she hadn't known what name to give the feeling, then when it truly unfurled, she denied it and tried to run from it. But the further she ran, the more it consumed her; the harder it dared her to accept it. And finally when the taunting became too much, she did, plummeting willingly into the chasm of love.

It was a beautiful feeling, rapturous, even when coupled with pain.

She didn't have to avoid Galatea any longer or deny herself the smile that rose to her lips whenever she was near. She didn't have to brace herself against her waves of desire or chase away the daydreams that formed in her mind. She could look at Galatea now, truly drink her all in and be scorched by the tingles and love every second of it.

She sighed again as she watched Galatea float towards the building, capturing the lilt of her hands as she gestured with them. Musa had never seen anyone so beautiful. Everything about Galatea was perfect. She had the clearest grey eyes, the most effervescent smile. Her lips put even the brightest rose to shame and her hair…oh, her hair!

Her hair was the palest shade of blonde, a gleaming waterfall ending at her calves. It had been left to flow freely today, and as the pin-straight tresses wavered in the gentle breeze, Musa could do nothing but yearn to comb her fingers through their silkiness. Then in the next instant as Galatea pushed her hair out of her face, Musa was yearning for Galatea's touch through her own hair instead. For the sensation of her smooth and warm fingertips zigzagging across her scalp.

And then it came. Merging and surfacing in her mind like waves coalescing together with speed just shy of a heartbeat. It was the vision. The vision that defied its own qualities and brought with it such real feeling sensations that Musa felt as if Galatea's lips were truly against her. She closed her eyes and the vision became clearer.

The contours of Galatea's cheeks were mere inches away. She smiled and they turned into hollows, half hidden by the swelling apples of her cheeks. Musa smiled back, then realised Galatea's lip gloss was smeared over her mouth, that her eyes were clouded and that she was beaming with affection.

This was always Musa's favourite part of her daydreams – revelling in the breathlessness of Galatea's kiss.

The princess brought her head closer just as surreal warmth starting surging through Musa's veins. She grew dizzy as Galatea put her forehead against hers and dizzier still when Galatea captured her lips once again. Her kiss was soft, tender, pulling on Musa's lips with just enough hunger to bring forth the tingles.

Musa could've stayed like that for eternity, trapped in her daydream with the sweet taste of Galatea on her tongue. But her name was being called repeatedly and each time it was said with heightening annoyance, the perfection behind her closed eyes shattered till nothing but Galatea's scent remained. Galatea was no longer kissing her. She had turned into a wisp of smoke and was gone.

Musa blinked, but there was just haze. She vaguely remembered where she was until a tambourine fell to the floor with a jangle. Music club. She blinked again and this time saw the fuzziness of the classroom she sat in. People were staring. Galatea was staring. Through the cloudiness of her eyes, Musa saw the princess standing in the doorway, her pale brows drawn low in concern.

Sharp focus suddenly came rushing back and Musa's eyelids popped open. She was met with Professor Osmium's mop of red hair bouncing wildly as he shook his head at her. She blinked to clear away the last of the haze at the same time he fixed her with his glare. She was supposed to be assembling with the rest of the fairies at the music stands to begin playing the piece the club had been rehearsing for the past two weeks. But as she rose from her chair, she just couldn't bring herself to grab her flute and join the class.

The reality was too tuneless, and she couldn't dance to its rhythm any longer. She would never have Galatea. The friendly worry on the princess's face as she looked at Musa then confirmed that. And it hurt.

Pushing back her chair, Musa darted across the classroom, brushing past Galatea on her way through the doorway. She wanted the tingles in her arm from their contact to scatter. To perish. She didn't want to feel the tingling anymore. Because what was the point in feeling something that Galatea evoked when she could never tell the princess what it felt like? How good it felt like? Musa could only share the feeling with herself and it was becoming harder to face that it would only ever be that way.

It hurt admiring Galatea knowing she could never truly touch her, or hold her in a way that wasn't just a friendly hug. She meant so much, but understood so little.

Did she see it? The yearning and fondness in depths of Musa's eyes? Was that what she was silenced by every time they held each other's gazes? Was she afraid of the truth? Or was she waiting to hear it from Musa?

Eyes watering from the sting of reality, Musa hurried down corridor after corridor towards her safe place. Her haven. It lay beyond a heavy door and its spiralling staircase, which she was now bolting up, taking the steps two at a time. In the past week alone, she'd gone there far too many times to count for the solace of being alone with her thoughts about Galatea. It was easy to get distracted up there, atop Alfea's tower, with the clouds drifting in plain view and with the horizon burning behind them. At the top of the stairwell, a hazy balcony came into view, and the moment Musa stepped onto the balcony's shadow, her pooling tears spilled over. Wiping them away, she walked over to a pillar and leaned against it, looking towards the sky, where she found Galatea's face in the clouds.

Musa almost laughed out loud. Was she so hopelessly enamoured with the princess that her eyes saw her everywhere?

"Musa!"

And now she was hearing Galatea's voice too?

"Musa, are you okay?"

This time, the voice didn't sound distant enough to pass off as a delusion. It seemed to have come from right behind her. Musa was in the process of turning around when a hand dropped onto her shoulder, and if she hadn't already guessed by the voice, the sudden tingling in her arm would have given Galatea away.

"Hey," Galatea whispered gently, edging around Musa to face her. "Have you been crying?"

"No," Musa answered, lowering her gaze to the ground.

"Then what are these tears doing here, marring your beautiful face?"

Musa looked up just in time to see a small smile stretch across Galatea's lips and then her vision became blurry with tears. Galatea was concerned for her and she'd even called her beautiful, but it wasn't enough. She didn't want Galatea's comfort, she wanted so much more than that.

Galatea suddenly cupped Musa's face and started brushing away the tears that came rolling down her cheeks. She had no idea why Musa was so upset but decided that a hug might calm her down. Musa only cried harder as Galatea pulled her into the crook of her neck, and her lower lip trembled in an attempt to rein in her sobs.

"It's okay," Galatea said, squeezing Musa more tightly.

"I wish it was," Musa whimpered, motionless under the princess's smooth and warm fingertips running through her hair.

Galatea squeezed tighter. "Did something happen between you and Riven?" There was no reply. "Musa?"

Sniffling, Musa raised her head from Galatea's shoulder and met her eyes with damp ones of her own. "What do you think of me and him?"

"What?" Galatea frowned. "Musa, it doesn't matter what I–" But Musa's look was so sad and pleading that she just had to reply. "I think you two were meant to be," Galatea said at last, Musa's face cupped in her palm. "And that he's perfect for you."

"Perfect?"

"Yes." Galatea nodded. "Because you love him deeply, more than anything else in the universe."

"What if I told you that I didn't love him at all?"

Galatea's frown deepened. And for just a second, it appeared as if she'd finally understood the meaning beneath Musa's words, but then her grey eyes lost their sparkle. "You really don't love him?" she asked, sounding thunderstruck.

"Not anymore," Musa said. "I love someone else, but I don't know how to tell Riven."

"Does the other person know that you love them?"

Musa shook her head, trying to shake away the burning behind her eyes at the same time. The tears came anyway, and once again Galatea held her, stroking her hair like she'd never broken the rhythm. Burning fiercely behind them, the horizon showered them with orange and pink light. Musa watched as the colour of Galatea's hair changed and found herself fondling with the princess's blonde tresses. They were just as silky as she'd imagined them to be, rendering her hands to slip and slide without allowing her to play with any individual tress.

Galatea leaned into Musa's hair, softly exhaling, and then became as still as the clouds in the sky. She broke their gentle sway and her hand fell out of Musa's hair to rest at her side.

"Don't stop," Musa said the moment she realised Galatea's fingers had fallen away.

"You like it?"

Musa straightened and stepped back. "You don't?"

"I haven't had anyone stroke my hair in a long time, but I remember it being soothing."

"That's not what I meant." Musa met Galatea's gaze nervously. "I meant: do you not like stroking my hair?"

Galatea stared at the pair of eyes in front of her as she asked, "Do you like it when I stroke it?"

"Yes."

"Then I like stroking it."

There was perfect silence for one long moment as Galatea and Musa peered into each other's eyes, searching for more than they could possibly find there. Musa's gaze was the first to drop. She stepped forward and took Galatea's hand, closing her eyes against the flourish of tingles in her skin.

"Galatea," she said softly, trying to bring her gaze back up to the princess's. She wanted to look straight at Galatea when she said what came next, but the weight of her anxiety kept her head bowed to the ground. She waited till it became lighter with Galatea's fingers wrapped firmly around her wrist, evoking more tingles now that she was on the verge of admitting her feelings. At last, Musa looked up. "You're the other person. You're the one I love more than anything else in the universe."

Galatea's firm grip around Musa's wrist went slack and Musa's heart threatened to never beat again.

Then, just as Musa clamped her eyes shut in regret, the softest lips came crashing down on hers, whispering, "I love you, too."

Tears streamed down Musa's face. Galatea loved her back. She was lifting her off the ground now, deepening their kiss with such surreal passion. It was dizzying. She tasted like she had in every daydream and the feel of her lips was familiar too. Musa couldn't get enough. She pulled Galatea closer, buried her hands in her lustrous hair, and kissed her harder and harder.

At last, Galatea and Musa broke apart, chests heaving, affection residing in the dazed look in their eyes.

"Galatea?" Musa whispered, her forehead against the princess's. "Do you feel the tingling whenever we touch?"

"Yes," Galatea whispered back, tucking a strand of Musa's hair behind her ear. "And I never want it to stop." She leaned forward for another kiss and Musa closed her eyes, preparing for the intense rush of tingles.

None came. No lips met hers. Nothing at all happened.

There was nothing in front of Musa's eyes when they opened. There was just the balcony and the endless gold of the sky beyond it. Galatea had never come chasing after her, she hadn't held her and nor had she kissed her.

It had just been another daydream.

Eyes brimming with tears, Musa stared at the setting sun, wishing all her feelings would disappear along with it. Her tears fell, slowly at first, then as endless streams. By the time her eyes were dry, night had fallen and still Musa stood out on the balcony, leaning against the pillar she hadn't moved from.

Around the time the stars came out, she heard footsteps at her back. She immediately stiffened. The footsteps were soft and she could've sworn she'd heard a swish of long hair accompany them. Could it be…? No. She must have been dreaming again. But a pinch to her skin revealed that she wasn't and then a very real pair of arms circled her waist.

They weren't the arms she wanted. They were muscular, strong and Riven's. Not slender, smooth and Galatea's.

"You okay?" Riven asked after dropping a kiss onto Musa's shoulder.

She nodded absently, then turned towards the sky, where she could still see Galatea's face in the clouds.

I think I'm having a thing with non-canon pairings at the moment. And I think Musa and Galatea might just be my favourite. I don't know about you, but I believe Musa's secretly head over heels for the princess. Something seemed to change in her when they first met and then she selflessly rescued Galatea from that fire - it couldn't have been done just out of care. They hardly knew each other and the rest of the Winx didn't give a damn, even though they saw the whole thing. And yeah, the makers did it so Musa could get her Enchantix but maybe it meant more?

Anyway, what did you think of the oneshot? And are you in agreement about Musa being secretly in love with Galatea or is it just me? Give me your thoughts.

Until next time,

xxxMusarockz.