Archive of Our Own

Many of the magazines and news columns Ronald had read had suggested trying your partner’s hobby as a means of bonding. Which in hindsight, was a fantastic idea. A lovely one even- he could have dragged his beloved detective out to a rival theatre to study their opera or to watch their ballet, or to one of the galleries in the upper end of town for art- 

Who was Ronald kidding? 

Inference hated rubbing elbows with the rich. 

So pray tell, why did Ronald think it was a good idea to say he’d do what Inference wanted to do for a whole day? 

“You’re too tense, loosen up your shoulders.” 

The office-turned-boxing ring was too warm. Sweat dripped down the actor’s face, making his shirt stick too close to his skin. Dreadful, utterly horrible. He was flushed and sweaty- how could anyone find enjoyment in that? Meanwhile Inference had the audacity to look fine, not minding how his own hair clung to his forehead as he was crouched dodging imaginary punches and sending a few of his own. 

Ronald wished to send a detective a  few of his own as well until he remembered he promised to partake in one of Inference’s hobbies. Swore on his life even (not that Inference would kill him…perhaps he would however, ruin the actor in different ways); the detective had tried dancing before and he had an unenjoyable time with it. Two bruised feet and a bruised ego later, Inference swore off dancing (which hardly meant a thing when he would cave the moment Ronald so much as bat a pretty pout towards him).

Scarred skin and swift movement caught Ronald’s attention. A resounding bam echoing the empty office. Perhaps there was a different explanation for the actor’s poor performance. It wasn’t that he was horrible, no no no, it wasn’t his first time boxing at all. Hardly the first- Inference always worried over the actor’s ability to defend himself, it was as if he forgot the man once was in the army as well up until his accident. Ronald had half the mind to think that perhaps, Inference was doing it on purpose, distracting him with swift movement and muscle that Ronald just wanted to- 

“You know, I would have been more straightforward with my invitation if all you’re going to do is gawk.” 

“Pardon?” Ronald stumbled over himself, aiming to lean on the makeshift sandbag he was meant to practice on before realising his mistake. Gee, was it him or was suddenly too warm? The actor could feel a flush rise up his face, the sudden realisation that his partner was indeed shirtless and that he was most definitely staring and Inference- 

Oh that bastard. 

A cheeky grin was on his face, shaking his head in mock disappointment that Ronald couldn’t even have focused an hour on the sandbag before he got distracted. No wonder his form was utter rubbish, his mind travelled places other than boxing even if it wasn’t the detective’s first time attempting to instruct his beloved. Oh no no no, it was the fifth now. Ronald knew his way around a gun but around a knife? Hopeless. You would think that being a soldier before an actor, he would know how to throw a good punch- but even here in the makeshift ring, Ronald faltered. What was Inference to do with him?

“I would have thought the Ronald of Ness would know not to stare at shirtless men, no?” Inference walked over, finally deciding that they both deserved a break. “How unprofessional.” 

“And I would have thought after several days of me tutoring you in dance, you would learn to stop stepping on my feet.”

“Low blow,” scarred hands came up to hold the taller man’s hands as the detective stepped behind Ronald. “Your feet shouldn’t be on the same line- you’re asking to be punched off your feet. Opposite hand with the opposite foot.” 

The same hands went down to Ronald’s waist, pulling and positioning them and urging his feet to follow. Oh pooh, and Ronald thought he would be able to get out of the lesson still. But of course he should have known- Inference was a man who was all business. But could it count that he was mixing pleasure and business together now? 

“Loosen your knees, you want your movement to be steady and fluid.”
“Oh I’m not quite sure I follow, detective .”
“Oh you’ll follow. Think of it as a dance, one foot following the other, keep the same distance between your knees at all times.”
“Oh you’d love that wouldn’t you- hey-!” Ronald yelped, turning around when he felt Inference pinch his behind. The guilty hand returned back on Ronald’s waist to reposition him back to position, pulling and pushing to show what the detective meant by a constant movement. Ronald estimated he couldn’t have been moving more than a ruler’s length at a time, shuffling back and forth at about a twelve inches before Inference had finally felt him ready enough to continue the movement on his own. It was a needless gesture, something Ronald had already mastered from the detective’s previous attempts at training the actor. It was nearly like a basic waltz. 

“Focus.”
“You are definitely focusing on something, I’ll tell you that.” 

“Your lack of movement for example.”

Ronald turned around, finally having had enough of that unspoken tension between them. Inference’s hands were pulled into his own, one small hand on a burnt shoulder while the other was clasped firmly in Ronald’s grip. They were settled in a familiar pose, one not unlike  the basic waltz. The two were flushed against one another, and it occurred to Ronald that perhaps this was not the brightest of his ideas. For he hadn’t planned for example, on his detective looking too cute when he was flustered or the warmth of his skin permeating through Ronald’s soaked through shirt. It certainly wasn't the first time for him to be locked in such intimacy with the detective, but it never failed to fluster him to no end. He hadn’t thought of how to lead the dance. 

“For someone telling me to loosen up, you’re very stiff, detective.”
“For someone who talks so big, you don’t seem to move too much,” Inference’s voice was dry, giving his partner a pointed stare. He doesn’t like dancing all too much, not remembering how the steps went nor the rhythm of the steps. “Surely you don’t intend to just stand here?”
“Well for one I could start correcting you on your posture, your knees shouldn’t be so close, a shoulder’s width would do,” Ronald mock sighed, finally picking just a simple box step. He was useless if he didn’t have anything to listen to while dancing, but Inference didn’t need to know that. Instead, the shorter man was puled close and dragged into a dance, remembering at last second that his feet had to move backwards to avoid stepping on Ronald’s feet. “My, you remembered!”
“Shut it. You’re an oaf who doesn’t want to box.”
“And you’re an oaf who couldn’t remember a waltz to save his life.”
“And what do you propose I’m doing now?”
“Being led by the hand and fed with a spoon.”

The older of the two scoffed, shifting their positions until Inference was in the leading position. Ronald’s hand was clasped firmly on his shoulder while Inference was touching lightly under his back. It was an awkward position considering their differences in height. The detective even had half the mind to make Ronald bend down just so he could be eye level with the man. But Inference was a prideful man, he didn’t need to do that just like how he also refused to ask Ronald for the starting steps. He couldn’t quite remember how the first step of a waltz went, something in the shape of a box he reckoned. 

When Inference looked down at their feet, they were barefoot in the makeshift boxing ring of his apartment. Worn floorboards reminded him that it was one step forward, one step back in a square. If he focused enough, he could nearly hear the music from a ball from oh so many months ago. 

One step forward, one step back. A continuous dance around the room- 

“Eyes on your partner, dear detective.” 

Calloused fingers came to grip Inference’s chin, pulling him to look at the actor’s face. Oh how did Inference want to wipe that smug look off that bastard. Where was that flustered fool he was poking fun at just moments ago? Inference refused to lose in this unspoken competition, pulling the actor in for yet a faster dance. He pretended he didn’t have his own smug grin when Ronald had to steady himself on Inference’s shoulder, fingers digging into strong muscle when he was spun around unexpectedly. 

Perhaps it was Inference’s own misstep when he tried to lift his partner, realising far too late that he had yet to warm up properly to lift anything more than his own bodyweight.

“Shit-”
“ Naib - be careful,” their dance came to a stop, Inference clutching at his hip when the pain shot up one side of his body unexpectedly. It was a sharp pain, reminiscent of an injury from a long bygone time. A reminder of an era Naib would simply like to forget. Ronald was knelt by the older man, rubbing soothing circles over the scarred over skin as if he could whisk the pain away. 

“I’m alright Ness, you’re treating me like I’m a crippled.”
“With how my weight nearly crushed you, you ought to be,” there was no joy on the actor’s face until he saw that teasing grin come back on his lover’s face. Of course Naib would find joy in being worried over. Whatever accident tore through his hip must have clocked his head to make him smile at being worried over. 

“You care for me.”
“Oh no definitely not for my heart beats for none- of course I care you utter oaf.” Ronald huffed, smacking Inference lightly on the head before getting up to retrieve the worn cane that was left forgotten by the pushed away sofa. 

“What a shame, for I was going to ask if your stone heart would like a little golem to accompany it until the end of eternity.”

A low groan left Naib’s lips as he propped himself up with the cane slowly, leaning heavily until the pain abated him, completely aware as to the chaos he had stirred up in his lover’s heart. When had the smug bastard practiced such a line? Who let the triumphant grin appear on his face? Ronald coughed, pointedly looking away just so Naib wouldn’t see his flushed face, forgetting that his flush travelled down to his chest and ears. 

Naib would think that he won in this little competition, after all, seeing Ronald flustered was always a worthy reward.