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There is nothing better than a wedding dance floor. The combination of the joy of the occasion and the open bar lowering everyone’s inhibitions, the low expectations for quality of both music and moves, it all equals a sweaty mass of formalwear-clad people just vibing, not caring what they look like. The humidity generated by all the dancing has made Dan’s hair wilt, he can feel it flopping out of its carefully styled swoop, but he doesn’t care, giddily singing along as he twirls Sarah in and away again, her dress flaring out around her.
On his other side Clare laughs, clear as a bell even over the thump of the music, and leans up against Dan’s shoulder for a moment before Noah pulls her away to dip her briefly towards the floor. Then she’s back, clinging to Dan’s biceps. Noah reaches for Dan like he’s going to dip him next, but Dan catches his hands and performs an awkward arm-swing move that brings them chest-to-chest for a moment. Noah takes advantage, tucking his beer-flushed face into Dan’s neck, and even that second of contact sends a shiver down Dan’s spine.
The song ends, and everyone cheers. Dan shakes his and Noah’s joined hands in the air, and then the DJ transitions to something slower. Couples start drifting together, everyone else meandering off the dance floor towards the bar. Dan drops his hands, letting Noah’s fingers slip through his grip. Noah’s smile is softer now, almost wistful, and Dan quirks his own mouth, reaching out to gather Clare under his arm and then propel her gently towards Noah.
Then he leaves the dance floor.
“You could dance with them,” Emily says, sidling up next to Dan at the bar. “No one would really care.”
“I know,” he says, swirling the ice in his fresh drink. “But the photographer.”
“Want me to create a distraction?”
Dan snorts, and Emily tips her head onto his shoulder. “Wanna dance?” He asks.
“Hell no, I want to drink,” she says, and then clinks her glass against his.
Dan gets a couple of slow dances with Clare, and he cherishes the feel of her silky hair against his cheek, the solid grip she keeps on him. He even cherishes the look on Noah’s face as he watches them dance, the way his eyes track them across the floor, liquid warm under the flashing lights. He dances with Noah during fast songs, caging Noah in with his arms and shimmying ridiculously in front of him, making him laugh.
It’s an excellent night, all in all.
And at the end of it, Dan and Clare and Noah tumble into the backseat of a car and go home together.
Clare goes straight upstairs to start her bedtime routine, and Dan heads straight for the back door to let Redmond out. Noah follows him into the kitchen, rummaging in the fridge for bedtime snacks and beverages to help stave off their inevitable morning hangovers. Dan feels a little tender, the tipsy aftermath of an emotional evening coalescing like a bruise under his breastbone, and he steps out onto the chilly flagstones of the patio to take some deep breaths of cool night air.
At first Dan thinks he’s hearing music from a neighboring house, wafting on the breeze into the backyard. He realizes it’s the speaker in the kitchen just as the door opens, and before Dan can turn around to find out what’s going on Noah steps up behind him and wraps his arms around Dan’s waist.
“Wanna dance?” Noah asks, voice low against Dan’s ear. Dan grips Noah’s forearms, bare now that he’s ditched his suit coat and rolled up his shirtsleeves. Dan huffs, but the ache in his chest is dissipating, replaced with a bloom of warmth. “C’mon, we didn’t get to earlier.”
“Sure we did,” Dan says, biting down on a smirk. He can never resist a little push back with Noah. It always pays off. Like now, when Noah starts swaying his hips side-to-side, pressed deliciously close to Dan’s back.
“Not like this.”
Dan turns in Noah’s arms, meeting his eyes. They’re hooded and shadowed, his head backlit by the kitchen overheads flooding through the door. Dan doesn’t recognize the song playing, but it’s a sensuous piano melody with a crooning male voice, and that’s good enough for him. He leans in, catching a glint of a smile on Noah’s face from the corner of his eye before he lets them slip shut, tucking his own smile into Noah’s neck.
They sway under the pergola, Noah’s arms tight around Dan’s back, his neck salty-sweet against Dan’s mouth, until the song ends. Another starts, slightly faster in tempo than the one before, but Noah seems reluctant to let Dan go and Dan is right there with him. Then there’s a shuffling sound, and a warmth up against Dan’s back, accompanied by the herbal smell of Clare’s night cream.
“I was wondering where you guys were,” she murmurs, chin hooked over Dan’s shoulder. Dan hears a kiss, a soft smack that is probably Noah’s lips to Clare’s forehead, and drops one of his own to Noah’s neck.
“We had some dancing to make up for,” Noah says.
“Quite a few dances,” Clare agrees, and Dan finds her hand on his waist to squeeze her fingers. “You staying out here? I can take Redmond in.”
“No,” Dan says, finally lifting his head. He shifts so he’s only under one of Noah’s arms, making room for Clare to snuggle in on the other side. “Let’s go to bed.”
Clare touches his cheek, and smiles. The ache in Dan’s chest is back, but now it’s changed, tender for a different reason. He’s so glad to have them both here.
He takes their hands and leads them inside, Red’s nails clicking on the tile behind them, and then takes them up to bed.