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Logan never really was one for singing. He was perceived to be a man of the upmost refinement; a man who indulged almost the entirety of his alone-time secluded with the written word. Within the confines of his own mind serenades were nothing more than idiotic clichés intended to deceive a wider, lonelier audience into believing that a re-hashed version of some hit pop-song equated to true-love at long last. Newsflash, Hollywood: “Can’t Help Falling in Love” lost all authentic meaning when Zayn Malik decided to make an official cover of it too.
Logan never really was one for dancing. He simply preferred to let his eyes gently wander across the page as the newly absorbed words danced and fluttered around in his head, elegantly eloping with all prior knowledge, and forging one complete tale of excitement and adventure behind his patient eyes. Big musical dance numbers were surely far too unrealistic for him. Too many limbs. Too many opportunities to fall and fracture a femur. All semblance of elegance was lost when the activity became far too literal for Logan’s acquired taste.
Logan never really was one for musicals. The very premise of building an entire world around pre-written songs seemed positively ludicrous to him, or “Pattonly-absurd” as the Dad-Side would often joke. “Mamma Mia” was one of his least favourite musicals for that very reason. Failing to create an interesting environment was one thing, but to steal already overdone songs from another in order to accomplish such a lacklustre thing? Oh please. Logan preferred a far more structured and scientifically sound world. One with proper meaning and purpose. A world that revolved as much around the known and unknown as our own reality does on a daily basis.
Logan was a man of literature. Arthur Conan Doyle. Agatha Christie. Toni Morrison. Novels. Poetry. Riddles. He adored the lot. To Logan, his library was like an entire universe, and inside it were the books – the planets – all just waiting to be explored.
Of course, this led to a number of disputes with his partner, Roman.
“Roman, songs are not the written word “vocalized”; they are the written word internationally marketed and sold off for an ill-deserved profit.”
Logan once refused to look Roman in the eye for a day after the prince dared to suggest literature was much the same.
“Oh yeah? Tell me then, Edgar Allan Foe, why books are not simply given out for free? Why should they be sold out in shops if any profit they turn in is so ill-deserved?”
“Novels are different.”
“Why? Because less people are interested in them?”
That had proven to be one of their more heated debates.
Of course, Roman was also the sort to think “Twilight” classified as “Classical Literature,” on the sole basis that it was over a decade old, so Logan couldn’t stay mad at him for too long. Roman’s cluelessness was not only a weakness for the prince himself, but for Logan too. It was almost endearing… in an odd way… Besides, it allowed for Logan to rant about the things he loved and was captivated by, meanwhile Roman would be captivated by the one he loved speaking so passionately. They balanced each other out in this way.
Still, there was one… perhaps unconventional… piece of literature that Logan could not help but enjoy.
Magazines.
Fashion magazines to be more specific.
He hadn’t intended to grow addicted, but alas Virgil had left a single copy of “Kirameki” on the kitchen counter one day and before he could even think to stop himself from reading it he was on the last page. It seems highly improbable to most that some article containing such simplistic language, an abundance of images, and absolutely no plotline could captivate the interest of one as astute as Logan himself… but the style… it was just so… different!
From magazine to magazine his interest leapt… “Fashion,” “Cosmopolitan,” “Vogue,” etc… and if he just so happened to conjure up a few of the outfits he saw across the various articles, then he would soon reassure himself with the belief that it was for entirely scientific and experimental purposes, and most certainly not because more vibrant colours made him feel… cute… That was just an added bonus.
~ ~ ~
On a day such as this, Logan found himself cycling through a few new potential outfit combinations. The first was composed of primarily pinks and blues. The large pink sweater combined with the denim blue short-shorts and the knee-high baseball socks gave off a very “youthful” vibe. Although it was a style he’d grown relatively fond of, the logical Side thought it best reserved for game nights. Distracting Roman with the matching bow necklace was the only way he could beat the prince at “Kirby” after all.
The second outfit was far classier and mimicked the logical Side’s natural style better, matching a halter neckline, tight-fit purple top with a dark pencil skirt. It was not that Logan had any outright objections to the outfit, but rather that one simply does not indulge Patton in a game of “Patton-cake” then wear a pair of four-inch high-heels the very next day. Unfortunately for him, those were the only shoes that could match such an outfit.
The final outfit Logan tried and eventually settled on was perhaps the most vibrant of the lot. The trousers were nothing to marvel at as they were nothing more than a standard full-length denim pair with a simple brown leather belt holding them up at the waist. The top and shoes, however? Now those were something to marvel at.
The top Logan chose was a bright, yellow crop-top with the word “Honey” written on it in bold, red letters. Reaching only half-way down his chest, the crop-top didn’t leave much to the imagination when it came to the logical Side’s toned physique. The shoes Logan selected to match such a spectacle of a top were no less eye-catching. On his feet the logical Side wore a pair of floral high-tops with a simple black sole and lace. The flowers themselves were all various complimentary shades of creams, yellows and pinks, and should the light catch the well-maintained surface at just the right angle, then the shoes would shine as if demanding further attention.
Logan cast one final look at himself in his bedroom mirror before deciding the look was complete, stepping out of his room, and setting his sights on Roman’s.
~ ~ ~
If there was one thing Logan had come to realize about Roman, it was that he was often heard long before he could be seen. Today was no exception.
From the moment he dared to set foot inside the creative Side’s domain, Logan could clearly hear the sound of music pouring out from somewhere within the bedroom, yet upon looking around he saw no one. He scratched the back of his head in contemplation as his eyes did another quick scan around the room, only to notice that the door of Roman’s walk-in wardrobe had been left slightly ajar.
“Princey?” Logan called out.
There was no response. It seemed as though his partner hadn’t heard him over the sound of “Dancing Queen.” Great. Mentally, Logan added the word “distracting” to the list of reasons as to why he disliked musicals.
He called out to his partner again as he took another few steps towards the walk-in wardrobe, this time gaining enough attention to make Roman stop singing, and to turn the music on his speaker down significantly.
“Is somebody there?”
Just before Logan could reach out and open the door completely, Roman stepped out into his bedroom. Each man looked startled for just a moment before their pride forced them into maintaining a straight face.
“Princey.”
“Teach.”
The pair smiled fondly at each other before Roman raised his hands up to rest them gently on Logan’s bare forearms.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” the prince inquired.
“Can’t one boyfriend simply wish to visit another?”
“Under normal circumstances perhaps, but the boyfriend in question is you, and you typically avoid me when I’m in a musical mood?”
“My sincerest apologies for not hearing your music from my room.”
“My sincerest apologies for not playing my music loud enough.”
At that, Logan couldn’t help but roll his eyes, causing the prince to let out a small chuckle. It was not long ago that the royal Side had hated seeing the logical Side’s eyes roll like that. He had always feared Logan was silently calling his intelligence into question when he rolled his eyes so nonchalantly, but now, having come to understand his “darling” on a deeper level, Roman knew that that was never the case. He and Logan were equals. The eye-rolling was now just another form of playful banter to them.
“If I ever hear your music all the way from my room, I assure you you’ll hear me coming.”
“Dutifully noted,” Roman replied as his hands gently glided down Logan’s arms, eventually clasping their hands together.
For a moment, Logan was able to just silently relax and appreciate the man stood there before him… and then Roman kept talking…
“Care to dance?”
“In your dreams.”
“With you, every day’s a dream,” he attempted.
“Cute, but you can dream on. I’m not dancing.”
With that, Logan pulled his hands gently out of Roman’s grasp and took a few steps backwards, offering his partner a playfully scolding look as he did so.
“You know I don’t dance.”
“It was worth a try.”
The pair smiled at each other again. From this distance they could finally get a good look at each other.
It seemed the prince was also trying on a new outfit today, as casual-wear wasn’t typically his style. Roman was dressed very similarly to Logan. He too wore long denim jeans, albeit in a darker shade. The yellow shirt was also a similar item, however, Roman’s was plain and longer, meeting his jeans at the waist. Not only that, but he had elected to wear an open dark blue shirt over the top, which just about reached down to the bottom of his posterior. Finally, he wore a simple black pair of converse on his feet, both the soles and laces of which were a pristine white colour.
The more Logan looked at Roman, the more he couldn’t help but smile wider. According to Newton’s first law of motion an object in motion will stay in motion unless some other force acts to change said motion. To Logan’s heart, Roman was always that adequate force that made it skip a beat.
The more Roman looked at Logan, the more difficult it was to hold back the oncoming blush. Logan usually appeared to dress so formally and reserved, so seeing him like that was always a pleasant surprise. This impossible man was just full of surprises… If only it weren’t impossible to see him dance.
It was then that Roman’s eyes finally caught sight of the phrase on Logan’s shirt.
“Honey.” One simple word printed there in bold, red letters.
One simple word placed directly in front of him.
One simple word was all he needed.
~ ~ ~
The only warning Logan received came in the form of a playful smirk from Roman before the aforementioned prince spun around and re-directed his attention back towards his speaker.
At this point Logan was confused. He knew how his partner adored their music, but it was highly unlike Roman to ignore him in favour of it.
“Roman?” he questioned, only vaguely masking the annoyance creeping into his tone of voice.
“Just a moment, love,” he responded, sounding far too chipper for Logan’s comfort.
Logan responded with only a faint frown, but listened as Roman skipped through various songs time and time again. Sometimes he only caught a chord or the beginning of a word. One time all he heard was Meryl Streep exhale. This routine continued until eventually…
“Perfect,” Roman muttered to himself, finally turning away from his speaker and all but waltzing up to Logan with a benevolent smirk on his face.
“What are you up to?” Logan asked, knowing far better than to blindly accept any one of Roman’s schemes.
“You’ll see.”
Somehow Logan didn’t find any reassurance in that sentiment, but before he could even try to get another word in… he heard it…
‘Honey, honey, how he thrills me, a-ha, honey, honey!’
Logan’s eyes widened in horror.
‘Honey, honey, nearly kills me, a-ha, honey, honey!’
Logan opens his mouth to protest, but Roman won’t allow it. In what is almost a blur of movement, Roman takes Logan’s hands in his own again, and this time there is no easy escape.
“Roman!” Logan yells, but it’s no use. Roman is too pre-occupied with singing along to respond to Logan’s pleas.
“I’ve heard about him before,
I wanted to know some more,
And now I know what they mean, he’s a love machine,
Oh, he makes me dizzy!”
Logan lets out a not-so-dignified yelp as Roman suddenly decides to twirl them around together. The world around him becomes an indistinguishable blur as he quickly finds the only thing his eyes can concentrate on anymore is Roman.
Goodness, this moment had the potential to be so much more romantic if only the logical Side wasn’t being tossed around against his will.
“Roman!” Logan yelled again, this time harshly pulling his hands away.
Fortunately for him, his attempt at an escape had proven to be quite successful.
Unfortunately for him, he hadn’t exactly formulated a plan regarding what should be done if he were to escape mid-twirl.
The world continued to spin as the logical Side stumbled backwards, barely managing to keep himself balanced until the prince himself managed to catch him in a dip.
Yet another potentially beautiful romantic moment tragically tainted by circumstance.
“What will it take to make you stop?” Logan asked, sounding both out of breath and exasperated.
Roman seemed to ponder over his words for a moment.
“One dance,” the prince eventually answered, then upon noticing Logan’s quizzical look he continued, “One dance, and if you don’t enjoy it then I promise you I will never ask you to dance again.”
“Or force me?”
“Or force you.”
Logan started weighing out his options in his head. True, dancing didn’t sound particularly enjoyable, but if it meant escaping his partner’s constant invitations then wouldn’t that make the trade-off worth it? Besides, Roman certainly seemed amused by all of this if his smile was anything to go by. Of course he’d still have to discuss boundaries with the prince later as forcing him into situations like these certainly violated them, but for now… for now he believed he could tolerate the prince’s wishes…
As the music played on, the prince continued to look at him expectantly.
“I know I’m not going to enjoy this,” Logan began, “But if I have your word that you’ll never ask me to dance again-”
“You do,” Roman interrupted.
“-Then I suppose I can endure this one dance with you.”
Roman smiled gently as he guided Logan back into a standing position.
“You won’t regret this.”
Each man certainly hoped so. After all, Roman had bet everything on this one opportunity.
~ ~ ~
By the time the deal was made, “Honey, Honey” was already half-way through the second verse. To make matters fair, Logan allowed Roman to rewind the song back to the beginning, just this once.
Rushing back over to Logan’s side with an arrogant smirk on his face, the royal instructed Logan to just, “Follow my lead.”
“And how do you suppose someone could possibly lead their dance partner to the song, ‘Honey, Honey’ if I may be so sceptical as to ask?” Logan chided.
“Just keep your eyes locked on mine, and let the music be your guide.”
Logan elected to ignore that “High School Musical Three” reference in favour of not wanting to punch Roman right in his perfect teeth. With all the rhythm of a startled elephant, he attempted to follow Roman’s instructions.
“Well that’s certainly… something…”
“That’s nerves. This dancing business gets on every last one of them.”
“That’s not the way dancing should be.”
“Well your instructions didn’t exactly teach me much, now did they?”
With a slight sigh, Roman stopped dancing himself.
“First of all you need to relax. You’ll never find your rhythm with your muscles so tensed up like that.”
“You’re making the dangerous assumption that there’s actually any rhythm to find which, in my honest opinion, sounds like an utterly ludicrous hypothesis.”
“Then allow me to prove you wrong. Come here,” the prince instructed, gesturing to the space directly in front of him.
Logan hesitantly obliged.
“Perfect, now turn around so that your back is lightly pressed against my chest.”
“Like this?” Logan asked, slowly moving into position.
“That’s perfect, darling. Just like that.”
As gently as he could manage, Roman slipped his arm around the waist of the man in front of him, causing the pair to blush slightly. His other hand rested lightly on Logan’s forearm.
“Now I want you to just listen to the music. Find your rhythm, and sway your hips in time to it. I’ll be here to help keep you right, okay?”
Listen to the music. Find your rhythm. Sway your hips.
Logan could try that.
“Okay,” he answered, before turning his attention back towards the speaker.
‘Honey, honey, let me feel it, ah-ha, honey, honey!’
He started with two subtle sways to the words “Honey, honey,” each time he heard the phrase. Just behind him he could feel Roman mimicking his movements with only a little more energy.
‘Honey, honey, don’t conceal it, ah-ha, honey, honey!’
Attempting to do as Amanda Seyfried sang, Logan’s movements became more invigorated, his hips almost popping from side to side with the beat. Now he could practically feel Roman smiling just behind his ear. He knew he must have been doing something right.
“The way that you kiss goodnight!”
As much as Logan attempted to restrain himself, he couldn’t entirely quell the sneaking smile that crept back onto his face as Roman resumed singing.
“The way that you hold me tight!”
He didn’t miss the way Roman’s hold on his waist subtly tightened as if he were subconsciously obeying the lyrics.
“I feel like I wanna sing when you do your… thing!”
Nor could he ignore Roman’s somewhat hilarious attempt to replicate the way Amanda Seyfried had sang the word “thing.” It was clear he had attempted to go for the laughing effect, but it sounded more like he was about to choke than anything. Either way it succeeded in making Logan laugh along too.
As the instrumental break kicked in, Logan could feel Roman gently resting their head against his.
“Feeling more at ease?”
“Well, I suppose this isn’t as bad as I’d imagined it would be.”
“Would you say it’s even a pleasant enough experience for you to sing-along with me?”
“Don’t push your luck, honey,” Logan playfully scolded.
The prince feigned an offended scoff, but still took pride in the little victory he had achieved. Even though he’d had to strike a deal just to get this far, it was nice to see his partner so laid-back like this. More than once he had concerned himself with Logan’s apparent lack of movement and typically awful posture. Surely hunching over books all day couldn’t be good for anyone’s well-being. Perhaps if he made this experience enjoyable enough for Logan, he could make a dance partner out of him yet.
All thoughts of the future were banished however when the third verse dragged him back to the present.
“Honey, honey, touch me baby, a-ha, honey, honey!”
As if on cue, Roman’s other hand slid away from Logan’s forearm and up to the sleeve of his crop-top. With a gentle tug, he prompted the man to outstretch his arm so that it was held far out from his side.
“Honey, honey, hold me baby, a-ha, honey, honey!”
His hand then traversed down Logan’s side, guiding the man’s movements and encouraging an additional flair in every step the pair took together. With his partner’s encouragement, Logan started moving his abdomen is small circles, round and around to the beat.
“You look like a movie star,
But I like just who you are,
And, honey, to say the least… you’re a doggone beast!”
Finally, Roman’s right hand landed firmly on Logan’s hips, directly opposite to the left, before each hand slipped forward in order to clasp together in front of Logan’s belly button. While keeping a strong hold on the man, Roman used all his strength to lift his partner up off the ground and spin him around.
Logan only gave a faint yelp before laughing breathlessly, and allowing his feet to hover slightly off of the ground. He wasn’t entirely sure if he was finally placing his trust in Roman, or if all of his adrenaline had just suddenly kicked in, but it didn’t matter. In just a moment it was all over, and his feet were planted firmly back on the ground. Behind him, he could feel Roman catching his breath, causing him to smirk.
“I haven’t tired you out with all this dancing, have I?” he teased.
“In your dreams.”
“With you, every day’s a dream.”
“…Cute…”
Roman’s left hand moved back into its original position and rewrapped itself around Logan’s waist, meanwhile he rested his right hand on the man’s side, ensuring his partner had to keep their right arm outstretched.
“Keep your right arm bent, starlight,” Roman instructed.
“Like… this…?”
“Not quite… Make the bend a gentle curve, not a sudden drop.”
“Is this okay?”
“That’s perfect.”
Before Logan could ask any more questions, he felt a light pressure on his right thumb and index finger. Looking down in confusion, he soon noticed that the source of the pressure was coming from Roman’s own hand, but it didn’t appear as though he were trying to clasp their hands together again. Upon closer inspection, Logan realized his partner’s true ambitions. Not far from Logan’s hips, Roman had joined the pair’s thumbs and index fingers together, creating a small heart shape between them.
“You dork,” Logan commented, laughing softly to himself as he turned his head as far as he could to face Roman, his left hand gently cupping the blushing man’s cheek.
“Guilty as charged.”
The logical Side offered his partner a faint smile before lightly kissing their cheek.
‘Honey, honey, how he thrilled me, ah-ha, honey, honey!’
The song was nearly over now, but Roman was never one to be outdone.
‘Honey, honey, nearly killed me, ah-ha, honey, honey!’
This time, the hand wrapped around Logan’s waist moved slowly, so that Logan was gradually brought face-to-face with the prince.
‘I’d heard about you before,
I wanted to know some more,’
Each man smiled warmly at each other. For as spontaneous as Roman tried to be, even he could be largely predictable. While gently resting their noses against each other’s, Logan waited expectantly for his partner to make the first move.
And now I’m about to see,
What you mean to me.’
Their kiss was soft, sweet, simple, and lasted for only a brief moment before the pair parted, each taking a step back as the song came to an end.
~ ~ ~
A single moment of calm hung in the air before Roman dismantled it with his typical flair for the theatrics and need to be overdramatic.
With an overly exasperated sigh and grand gesture the prince announced, “You kept your end of the bargain. Now I… I promise I will never ask nor force you to dance ever again.”
In his mind, Logan just wanted to say ‘Thank you,’ but his heart wouldn’t allow for it. There was no way he could stare directly into the prince’s dejected eyes and betray his end of the bargain. He felt a twinge of regret already settling in before he even let the truth slip, but continued anyway.
“I’m afraid that won’t be necessary.”
Now looking like a deer caught in the headlights, Roman could only ask, “What do you mean?”
A half-smile made its way onto Logan’s face.
“I meant as I said. You don’t need to entirely abandon your pursuits of converting me into your dance partner yet.”
“I don’t understand. We made a deal. A prince always keeps his word, Logan.”
“If my recollection of events serves me well – which let’s face it, it always does – then we agreed you were only to stop asking me to dance in the event that I… in the event that I did not enjoy this one dance with you.”
One could practically hear the gears turning in Roman’s head as the aforementioned prince mulled over this newly acquired information. If his boyfriend had truly meant what he said, then that meant-
“You enjoyed our dance?” he asked, his tone one of disbelief.
Logan quirked an eyebrow.
“This surprises you?”
“Admittedly it does. Just a little bit.”
Typical.
“Well, while calling our little dancing escapade ‘enjoyable’ may be a slight overstatement, I must admit I… I didn’t find it to be an entirely terrible or regrettable experience either. Besides, dancing is a valid form of exercise so-”
“So you’ll dance with me again?”
“Well, I’ll certainly consider it.”
Roman nodded his head slightly. There was a glimmer of hope in his eyes. No more words were needed to convey his gratitude.
“Just don’t expect me to dance with you publicly. Force me into a public dancing session and I doubt I’ll be able to vouch for your continued survival.”
“Of course, mi querido. I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Logan knew that statement wasn’t entirely true. Sometimes his prince couldn’t help where his mind wandered, but he wasn’t about to tarnish this pleasant moment with more factual information.
Of course his mind was still full of uncertainties.
Would he honestly be able to dance with Roman again?
Would he ever become an adequate dance partner?
Would Roman even be willing to continue teaching him?
Those were questions he couldn’t quite answer yet, but, if dancing had taught him anything today, it was that whatever step he and his partner both took next, they would both take it together to the beat of their hearts.
Perhaps musical clichés weren’t so bad after all.
~ ~ ~