Chapter Text
Suzuki hummed a little tune while styling his shaggy hair in front of his bedroom mirror. The mirror, a thrift purchase, was half covered with post-its.
“Isn’t it looking “adorably tousled” yet?” said a voice from the doorway. Suzuki glanced up.
Aki, clearly fed up from blaring her car horn downstairs in wait for him, had barged up to see what was keeping him. Suzuki chuckled.
“Not quite”, he said.
He fussed over his hair a bit more, slipped a small hoop in one ear, and picked up his bag. He placed his hands upon a grumpy-looking Aki’s shoulders and steered her around.
“Lezzzgoooooo”.
His mother was yet to arrive when Suzuki and Aki entered the class. A group of new students who had been whispering among themselves, nudged one of their members upon his entry. The girl hesitatingly broke apart from the huddle and nervously walked up to Suzuki. She held out her phone.
“Uh, senpai, could I have your number?” she asked.
Aki smiled at the girl and elbowed Suzuki whose eyes were fixed on the front row.
“What? Oh, oh yeah”, he said.
Reflexively, he took the proffered cell phone and entered his number.
“Here”, he almost shoved it back as his line of sight reverted back to its previous position.
Aki crossed her arms and looked over at the spot where his eyes were trained.
“If Suzuki is interested in Fusako, why is he responding to that girl’s flirtation right in front of her?” she wondered.
To show off how many girls are vying for his attention?
She watched as Suzuki sauntered over to the spot next to Fusako and her partner, Sugiki.
As I thought.
Aki, shaking her head, followed.
From the corner of his eye, Sugiki saw the girl who had asked Suzuki for his number turn around and excitedly mouth “Oh my God” to her friends. An amused smirk, hardly discernable, surfaced on his face. However, Fusako had been friends with him long enough to catch it.
“What’s funny?” she asked with interest.
“Nothing”, he said and continued stretching.
The “nothing” walked up with Aki in tow.
For some reason, the fur of a drenched puppy he had seen on a rainy sidewalk once flashed before Sugiki's eyes.
Suguki smiled and greeted Aki. Suzuki waved his large hand (with a gazillion rings) in front of Sugiki’s eyes.
“Rude. I’m here too”, he said in a disgruntled voice.
“Oh really, I didn’t see”, said Sugiki and focused his eyes on the front of the room.
Suzuki stretched out his arm in front of Sugiki’s face towards Fusako and shook her hand with over-the-top exuberation. Just then, his mother entered and clapped to call the room to attention.
“We’ve got quite a few experts gathered in this room”, she rubbed her hands together cheerfully. “They’ll give you demonstrations of their respective dance styles and then we’ll begin to mix and match”.
After some contemporary and urban dancers, Suzuki stepped forward. He gathered his baby-blue shirt into a knot above his navel and shook his hair out of his face. He hadn’t exerted himself yet but the bronze sheen of his tanned skin glinted under the bright lights. He walked up next to his mother and faced the class.
“Latin, it’s all in the hips. Today, I’ll demonstrate some beginner moves”, he said with a charming smile.
As soon as he walked to that spot, his demeanour changed in an indescribable way. The carefree buoyancy of his persona had channelled into the charisma of how he carried himself as a dancer… anyone could tell that right then, right there, on the dance floor, Shinya Suzuki meant business.
A light glinted across Sugiki’s eyes.
Some people in the back let out shrieks and gasps as Suzuki swivelled and swayed his girdle to the music. After the initial demo, Aki and he led a timed practice for the whole class.
Sugiki’s polished shoes clinked against the spotless classroom floor as he walked up to inspect Suzuki at closer quarters. Hair severely combed and styled as ever, prim and proper, he solemnly folded his hands behind his back and brazenly focused those sombre eyes on Suzuki’s swivelling hips.
Suzuki stifled a laugh.
Sugiki lifted his eyes in a questioning glance.
“Nothing… it’s just that I’ve never had such a mournful looking pair of eyes trained on my ass before.”
“Ah yes, your ass only delights”, quipped Aki teasingly.
Sugiki resumed staring at his hip movements.
“Latin dance is all in the hips, isn’t it?” he murmured.
A ripping sound rang through the room. Suzuki had unzipped his pants.
“You can place your hands on my hips”, he said to Sugiki.
Aki thought Sugiki would say no but the man clad in all-black didn’t hesitate for a moment… he promptly went and stood behind Suzuki and placed his hands on his waist; his brow furrowed in concentration.
Suzuki slowly timed his waist and hip undulations. Initially, he could feel Sugiki keeping a bit of a distance but he slowly drew closer to better sense Suzuki’s movements. Contrary to Sugiki’s frosty appearance, Suzuki felt as if he was standing with his back to a slowly blazing hearth; emanating a gentle warmth.
Sugiki’s hands kept slipping down Suzuki’s waist. Suzuki placed his hands over Sugiki’s and adjusted his hold. Slowly, bit by bit. Sugiki traced his hands over Suzuki’s back, spine, and shoulder blades; roaming, feeling, exploring, leaving a liquid warmth in their wake across the golden skin.
A shrill clapping sound broke their rhythm.
“Okay, now Fusako-san and Sugiki-san will demonstrate the basics of ballroom dance”, said Suzuki’s mother loudly.
Suzuki walked up to his bag and pulled out a towel and a bottle of water. Wiping his sweat, he turned back but froze mid-sip when he saw that Fusako and Sugiki had started the demonstration without any music.
What’s the fun in it without music? he thought with a scoff.
Still, his usually easily-diverted attention remained fixed towards the front of the class.
After the demo, Fusako and Sugiki invited students to practice with them. Suzuki lifted his steps towards Fusako but then changed his direction towards Sugiki. He had just given a hands-on lesson to Sugiki; he deserved that the favour be returned.
“Can I practice with you?” he asked.
“Sure”, replied Sugiki with a courteous smile. He held out his hand. Suzuki also held out his and tried to pull in Sugiki by the waist but Sugiki lifted his hand to his shoulder. Suzuki withdrew his hand.
“I want to be the one who leads. And I want some music”, he said flatly.
Sugiki's eyes flashed. So demanding...
Sugiki smiled again.
“It’s better if I lead at this point. You can do it later this week”.
“I’m a professional. It’s not like I’m a complete novice to ballroom dance”, said Suzuki. Hang on, why is there a whiny tilt to my voice?
"Don't be stubborn", said Sugiki.
"I want to lead", repeated Suzuki stubbornly. Yeah, I'm definitely in whining territory now...
Sugiki stepped back even further, out of Suzuki’s field of orbit.
“No”, he said coolly and turned to face the class again.
This conversation is over, were the unsaid words.
Suzuki gnashed his teeth and fell back into the middle row, sulking. Fuming, he watched as a ballet dancer with pretty eyes shyly walked up to Sugiki and bowed.
“Would sensei teach me?” he asked with a flutter of his long eyelashes (if the fluttering was real or a figment of Suzuki’s colourful imagination is up for debate).
What is he acting so damn coquettish for? thought Suzuki as he angrily gulped down water.
Sugiki was a bit shorter than Suzuki but he seemed to tower over the delicate ballet dancer. His large hands seemed even bigger when placed over the dancer’s tiny waist. Suzuki knew how the touch of those hands felt. They were roaming over him not a mere half an hour ago. The taut, angular, severe lines of Sugiki’s profile formed a stark but aesthetically pleasing contrast against the fairy-like, soft ballet dancer.
“They’re looking so beautiful together”, Suzuki overheard a girl sigh to her friend.
After a few moments, Sugiki and Fusako bowed to their partners and instructed them to practice with others.
“You teach so well, Sugiki sensei!” said the ballet dancer with shining eyes.
Sugiki squeezed the delicate fingertips of the ballerino’s hand which was still in his grasp.
“You’re a good student”, he said with his usual gentlemanly charm.
Before Suzuki could avert his furious gaze, Sugiki lifted his eyes over the ballet dancer’s shoulder and stared straight at him, peering right into the depths of his jealous soul.